Enlightened Apotheosis
by Chayner
Summary: [Currently under revision; the remastered version will be released with a Big update at the end of December]
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary. This is a nonprofit, fan-made work and I expect it to be treated as such. The only things that I own are my ideas and the iPad I used to write this.**

 **For those wondering about what they are getting into after clicking on this story, the only thing that I am going to say without giving spoilers is that it is basically my own interpretation of canon Naruto if it was a bit less on the shōnen side of the spectrum, ergo less limiting in certain aspects that I am certain you will easily notice should you choose to proceed and read further.**

 **Though, before we begin with the story, I would like to state for everyone that if you do not wish to read about a story featuring a 'godlike' and rather different version of 'Naruto', then this fan-fiction might not be your cup of tea.**

 **Also, I am open to constructive criticism, so if you wish to say something that would help me improve the story, then please feel free to drop a review or simply message me.**

 **And lastly, I would like to thank** _ **Lord Asmodeus**_ **for being an amazing person to converse with, as well as a wonderful partner for brainstorming sessions.**

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 **Prologue: Transcendence**

 _Chakra._

 _An energy divine in nature that should, for all intents and purposes, not even exist._

 _And yet... it does._

 _This godly energy that defies any and all forms of universal laws and human logic had existed for longer than a millennium, after it had initially been created out of endless bloodshed._

 _Many centuries ago, during the time when humans were more of a species of barbaric and simple minded creatures, a miracle was born from their bloodthirsty ways of living._

 _While the humans from that era of endless wars continued to battle each other and bathe the soil crimson in their blood, something truly unexpected took shape._

 _From the blood soaked ground and the energy of the universe itself, a divine entity was eventually born._

 _A tree to be more precise._

 _What had taken root from the endless blood spilt by the humans of the faraway past, had eventually grown even more as their tears and lifeblood continued to feed it._

 _This majestic and imposing entity which easily dwarfed everything else in the world with its sheer size and presence seemed to have had quite the interesting effect on the humans of those past times._

 _They who until then had known nothing else but to mindlessly slaughter each other as they fought for insignificant reasons that could have only been justified through their greed and incapacity of reaching a mutual understanding, had suddenly ceased to battle for the time being as their attention was brought upon the awe-inspiring tree which had graced their world with its existence._

 _Thus, instead of continuing with their destructive ways, the humans had focused on the mysterious tree and had begun to worship it as the host of a god._

 _They had named it Shinju, which in their tongue could be translated as the God Tree, a simple yet fitting name._

 _Years had passed and the humans appeared to have finally entered an era of peace as they continued to focus on the imposing entity and the divine presence that it was bringing upon the world._

 _However, this apparent peace had not lasted for more than a brief while, for the humans had soon reverted to their foolish ways of the past, with their new reason for bloodshed being the very tree that they had so highly revered as a primordial god of the world._

 _Instead of welcoming the emergence of the God Tree as an united front, they had begun to fight between each other for the right of worshipping it._

 _And so, the years continued to pass, with more wars being waged by mankind as they had continued to spill their lifeblood in their fight for the right to the hallowed ground occupied by the Shinju._

 _And while the humans alternated from brief periods of peace to further warring against each other, the sole constant seemed to be the God Tree itself, which was merely an observer to their foolishness._

 _The Divine Tree did not seem to be interested in mankind's folly and simply continued its impartial existence over the course of time._

 _Eventually, humanity's attention had once again been drawn to the Shinju as another unexpected event had taken place._

 _Roughly around a millennium after its emergence, the God Tree bore a strange fruit, one which had immediately been deemed as sacred by the more fanatic of the worshippers, and thus, its consumption had been labeled as the highest taboo for mankind._

 _The ages continued to come and go, and mankind did not look like it would ever abandon its perpetual cycle of battle as they somehow continued to find more and more petty excuses to massacre each other with each passing day._

 _One day, however, that behavior on the part of humanity had come to drastically change, for it seemed that beyond ensnaring the beliefs of the humans that populated the world, the Divine Tree had also managed to attract the attention of a group of aliens of humanoid appearance, collectively known as the Ōtsutsuki Clan._

 _The princess of this clan, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, had been a woman who longed for peace, and in an attempt to put an end to all of the wars that had been plaguing humanity, she had decided to defy its ultimate taboo._

 _Driven by her wish to bring an end to all of the conflict in the world, Princess Kaguya had decided that she needed to attain god-like powers in order for such a thing to be possible._

 _Thus, she had broken humanity's taboo and consumed the sacred fruit of the God Tree._

 _And so, empowered by the divine energy of the fruit, she had singlehandedly ended any and all of the wars that had been plaguing mankind, bringing upon it another era of peace, one which this time had also seemed to have been much, much more lasting than any of the previous ones._

 _Yet, this act on her part had not been without its consequences._

 _Awed by the incredible deed that she had performed, the humans began worshipping her as the Rabbit Goddess, a deity born from the gift of chakra bestowed upon her by the sacred fruit of the Divine Tree._

 _Time continued to pass, and humanity seemed to have finally found a lasting period of peace under the guidance of their newly revered goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who had settled amongst them and had eventually given birth to twin sons._

 _Hagoromo and Hamura._

 _Though, with the passing of the years, Kaguya began to gradually lose her trust in humanity as the immense power that she wielded had ultimately corrupted her._

 _This culminated with her eventual descent into madness as she had decided to create her own ideal peace, prompting her to use her kekkei mōra, the Rinne Sharingan and Byakugan, to trap most of the people in the world inside her ultimate illusory technique._

 _The Infinite Tsukuyomi._

 _A world of eternal dreams that would bestow individual and personalized utopias upon every person under its influence._

 _And yet, for all the boons that this impressive technique brought, it possessed a severe drawback._

 _Those bound within it, while happy and content in their fantasies, were on the outside nothing more than dolls made out of flesh._

 _Incapable of anything but withering away with the passage of time, for Princess Kaguya had no intention of keeping them otherwise._

 _Unwilling to preserve the physical shells of the trapped humans as they blissfully dreamt, the princess used her powers over the Divine Tree to drain them of their very lives in order to further nourish the Shinju._

 _Thus, the grace of the benevolent Rabbit Goddess had come to end, and in its stead, the reign of the cruel and terrifying Demon had begun._

 _Fear quickly became the incentive of the people to not dare defy Kaguya's will, for they dreaded that she might sacrifice them to the God Tree as well._

 _And so, the years went by as the Ōtsutsuki princess continued to exert her absolute dominion over mankind, ruling over them all with an iron fist while aiming toward a twisted view of peace._

 _Yet, there had been one thing that Princess Kaguya had not expected._

 _She had never thought that her own two sons would inherit her formidable power._

 _The oldest of them, Hagoromo, had inherited part of her incredible chakra, which had manifested in a kekkei mōra inferior only to his mother's Rinne Sharingan. Though, despite lacking in the power of its predecessor, Hagoromo's incredible prowess with his dōjutsu, the Rinnegan, quickly brought him in a level rivaling that of his mother._

 _The younger of the brothers, Hamura, had also inherited a fragment of his mother's chakra, though, as opposed to his brother's Rinnegan, he had inherited Kaguya's Byakugan._

 _In a fit of envy and rage that her own sons had inherited her chakra and came close to her in power, Kaguya incarnated together with the God Tree in order to turn against them and retrieve what she perceived as solely belonging to her._

 _And thus, she had given birth to the terrifying monstrosity which came to be known and feared as the Ten-Tails._

 _The Jūbi._

 _What ultimately followed this incident had been an extremely intense battle between the two sons and their mother, the princess who had been driven to insanity and corrupted by her own incredible power._

 _This fight eventually culminated with the defeat of the Ten-Tails._

 _The beast was sealed within the eldest of the two brothers, Hagoromo, who became its first jinchūriki. A turn of events which led to him being revered as a god for stopping the terrifying creature and undoing the Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi._

 _The gears of time relentlessly turned, and at some point after the two brothers' fight with the Ten-Tails, the eldest of them decided to spread fragments of his chakra to humanity and share with them the teachings that he had developed after understanding the very nature of chakra with the help of his wisdom and his kekkei mōra, the Rinnegan._

 _Thus, the concept of ninshū had been born, and Hagoromo gained a great amount of followers, as men and women from all across the world strove to learn from his teachings._

 _More time passed, and Hagoromo himself, who came to be referred to as the Sage of the Six Paths, also settled down and had two sons, Indra and Asura, whom he also taught ninshū._

 _The older son, Ōtsutsuki Indra, was quickly acknowledged by his father as a true prodigy, though he began to revel in his natural prowess and became very solitary._

 _The younger son, however, turned out to be the exact opposite._

 _Having shown no special abilities or natural talent, Ōtsutsuki Asura yet pushed on through his limitations, growing stronger and more mature because of his struggles and his making of friends with others along the way._

 _This turn of events had led to Hagoromo acknowledging Asura's chosen path, as he agreed with his younger son that love and cooperation were the true keys to peace._

 _Inspired by his younger son, Hagoromo decided to place his faith in Asura's life philosophy and chose to give mankind a chance to flourish on their own in the peace that he had helped them achieve._

 _And so, the Sage decided to divide the power of the Ten-Tails within himself and give names to its parts. He separated the chakra of the Jūbi using his Creation of All Things and gave birth to nine creatures, which came to be known as the bijū._

 _However, as a result of extracting all of these tailed beasts from himself at once, Hagoromo was left weakened and incapacitated for several months, though he was able to remain alive due to the powerful life force of the Ten-Tails' husk, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path._

 _The Sage eventually sealed the husk of the Jūbi into what came to be known as the moon, though not without paying the price for relinquishing the power that had been keeping him alive._

 _On his deathbed, Hagoromo had chosen his younger son, Asura, to be the successor to his teachings of ninshū, thinking that Indra would join in and cooperate with his brother._

 _Though, by doing this, he had unintentionally created a rift between the two brothers, as the older one, Indra, was quickly overcome by bitterness and envy at his father's decision and his brother's inheritance._

 _Following the Sage's death, his brother, Hamura departed with the rest of the Ōtsutsuki Clan to the newly created moon in order to guard Kaguya's remains and watch over the world of peace that Hagoromo had created._

 _But what none of them had known, had been the fact that prior to her defeat and subsequent sealing, Kaguya had managed to manifest her will in the form of Black Zetsu, an artificially created entity whose sole purpose would be the revival of its creator._

 _And so, after Hamura's departure, Black Zetsu began working on its plan to revive Kaguya by initiating the Infinite Tsukuyomi anew._

 _Black Zetsu sought the Sage's eldest son, Indra, and manipulated him into fighting his brother, Asura, an event which gave birth to a feud between them that would end up being carried throughout the centuries as their descendants continued to constantly fight against each other._

 _Even though Hagoromo had foreseen that at some point Indra or one of his reincarnations would eventually attempt to take Asura's power for themselves and had left behind a tablet detailing his history in an attempt to make them reconsider, Black Zetsu had been aware of this fact and altered the contents of this tablet, so that it could manipulate Indra's descendants, the Uchiha Clan, through the ages into resurrecting Kaguya._

 _The years went by as Black Zetsu continued to further advance its scheme by deceiving and manipulating the Sage's sons' descendants in an attempt to get one of them to awaken the Rinnegan._

 _However, unbeknownst to no one, the Sage of the Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, had continued to watch over the shinobi world even after his death._

 _As opposed to his sons' chakra, which had transmigrated into their descendants, the Uchiha and respectively the Senju Clans, Hagoromo's own chakra and soul, being too powerful to enter the Pure Realm, had remained somewhere between the afterlife and the mortal plane._

 _At first, the Sage had harshly berated himself for not realizing his mistake through which he had created a huge rift between his two sons, one that had eventually began to cover the entire world as well._

 _Then, sadness came as Hagoromo had to witness Indra fight Asura after having been encouraged and manipulated into doing it by Black Zetsu, but not before once again berating himself for not realizing that the beast which he had fought alongside his brother had actually been their mother._

 _Another painful blow dealt to the Sage had been him being forced to witness how throughout the centuries, the descendants of his sons continued to fight each other as they came to be overwhelmed by an endless cycle of battle and hatred._

 _But probably his greatest sorrow had come to him at the moment when he had realized just what the humans, towards whom he had dedicated most of his life in order to teach, had done with those teachings._

 _That was the point when he truly came to realize just how naïve his way of thinking had been when he had decided to entrust such a power over mankind, in the hope that they might use it to connect to each other and understand themselves better._

 _Hagoromo had to witness how mankind perverted his teachings of ninshū and turned them into weapons of war and destruction, giving birth to what came to be known as ninjutsu, a tool made to be used for combat as opposed to an ideal for the pursuit of peace._

 _More centuries passed and the Sage was filled with sorrow and grief as he slowly realized that despite all of his struggles to teach the humans how to peacefully coexist and better understand each other, they had ultimately reverted to their foolish ways of before when his mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, had eaten the chakra fruit._

 _Then followed a period during which Hagoromo began to contemplate about what would become of the world that he had sacrificed so much for to create, as it had ultimately turned out to be no different from the one before his era, with the sole exception being the fact that now humanity possessed a much more powerful and destructive weapon to bring itself towards extinction with._

 _More years passed, and he began to think that perhaps his decision of spreading chakra among the people of the Elemental Nations had been doomed to failure from its very beginning. And was only enforced by his realization that humans had to be fundamentally flawed as a species, for they seemed to be driven by their greed above all else and would hardly put aside their own differences for the betterment of their very future._

 _Hagoromo eventually arrived to the conclusion that mankind was undeserving of the gift that he had bestowed upon them, for everything that it seemed to have done was to just give them yet another reason for carrying petty conflicts among themselves._

 _But sadly, there was not much that he could have done at that point anymore, for he was nothing more than a soul latched onto a mass of pure chakra, trapped by his own formidable power as he simply existed outside of time and creation, bound to forever witness and lament the mistakes that he had caused and the foolishness of the humans that he had sought to educate and enlighten._

 _He even came to acknowledge the fact that for the brief period of time while she had still been sane, his mother's way of establishing peace had been superior to his own naïve one, as it had never relied on chance and concessions made between others._

 _And yet, he did not regret his action of having to seal away his mother, for her madness would have ultimately caused the complete destruction of the world and all of its inhabitants._

 _Though, he could no longer disagree with her initial belief._

 _That, in order for true peace to be possible, there had to be someone to actively guide the people._

 _Something which could not be denied, for during the time when he had still been alive, the followers of his ninshū had been living in peace and harmony with each other._

 _More decades passed in the blink of an eye with little to no change among the humans, and Hagoromo could see only one possibility for him to try and undo his many mistakes, as well as to try and once again bring peace to the war torn shinobi world._

 _And fortunately, this possibility resided within his chakra's capability to transmigrate in a similar manner to how the chakra of his sons had done._

 _Though, for that to be possible, a powerful enough host capable of accommodating his incredible might would be required, and as things seemed to stand in the world at the time, such an event would have never happened, for it required at least two of his descendants to mate with each other and give birth to an offspring with a body and a chakra close enough in similarity to his own in order to ensure compatibility._

 _And since his descendants' current objective could be easily identified as the total annihilation of the opposing party, his wish for repairing the damage that he had caused over the centuries due to his mistake remained exactly that._

 _A wish._

 _Or that was what he had initially thought, for one day the impossible became possible, and thus, allowing for the possibility of a miracle to take place._

 _And the fact that the circumstances surrounding it were of such an irony that they made him chuckle definitely made for a much welcomed addition to him._

 _Apparently, for all the intelligence that Black Zetsu had boasted of possessing, it did not account for a mistake that would eventually come to bite it back rather hard in the not-so-distant future._

 _Through one of its schemes, the manifestation of his mother's will had unintentionally caused a member of the Uchiha Clan to abandon his kin and leave to continue his life far from Indra's descendants._

 _Despite sounding rather inconsequential, this slight mistake that Black Zetsu had not even bothered to acknowledge, had put into motion the wheels which would lead to a future that normally would have been naught but a mere dream._

 _After wandering the world for a few years in the search of a new purpose in life away from his clan, the male Uchiha had eventually found it in the form of a beautiful woman with golden colored hair._

 _And from their love, a child was born._

 _A child that would unknowingly contribute toward the salvation of the sage's world._

 _That child grew up as the years continued to pass, and one day he met the woman who would eventually become his wife._

 _A young woman with vibrant red hair to be more precise. One who hailed from the Uzumaki Clan, a branch that had, at some point during the past, split off from the Senju Clan._

 _And from these two people's union, two children were born._

 _A girl._

 _And a boy._

 _And thus, Hagoromo's wish was turned from a mere dream to definite reality as the Sage's chakra and soul chose the young boy to be his host for the transmigration process._

 _Despite the fact that in his sons' cases only their chakra had been able to transmigrate from one descendant to another, for Hagoromo himself, his formidable power and pure alien heritage made it possible for his soul to be also brought along._

 _Although, in spite of the sage's initial plan, its first phase of execution encountered a slight impedance._

 _At the moment of the young boy's birth, one resentful Uchiha, whose name was truly not worth mentioning, decided to meddle in affairs which greatly exceeded his meager authority._

 _Still, Hagoromo had not been troubled by that, for if push truly came to shove, he would have been capable of temporarily calling upon his power, even if his transmigrant had at that time been just an infant._

 _Though, such an action would have not been without any risks nor consequences, for a prolonged exposure to his powerful chakra at such a young age would have not been advisable, as it could easily inflict severe damage upon the baby, whose body was not yet developed enough for the prolonged usage of such power._

 _Fortunately, that did not come to be the case, for the child's father had truly been a competent shinobi, which had probably been the reason for why he was also the current leader of his village._

 _And yet, in spite of the fact that the Uchiha assailant was forced to retreat, there had still been the problem of the tailed beast that he had released from the child's mother._

 _And to make the matters even worse, said bijū was actually Kurama, the most powerful of all nine._

 _Hagoromo had felt a little nostalgia upon seeing his creation from up close once again, yet he knew that with his new ideals of peace, the tailed beasts could no longer exist, for they would simply operate against the peace that he intended to create._

 _He could truly not allow chakra constructs to roam free into a world that would be deprived of chakra, since that would only create another rift between the humans._

 _Even peace had its price, after all._

 _And this world's peace had quite the high one._

 _Yet, he could have not wavered._

 _Not after witnessing how mankind had led itself toward ruin for the past millennium._

 _Thus, he needed to see his plans through to the very end. He needed to fix his mistakes and finally bring peace to this war torn world._

 _And so, Hagoromo took advantage of the huge chaos and confusion created by Kurama's attack upon the birth village of the infant inside whom he transmigrated, and put into motion the first step of his plan toward the salvation of the world._

 _Since the parents of his host, Naruto, had left him inside a wooden shed as they went with his twin sister to seal Kurama's Yang chakra inside of her, he was able to easily escape through the huge panic and commotion._

 _And despite the fact that he might have alerted most of Konohagakure when he had temporarily taken control of young Naruto in order to use his chakra to leave the village, the Sage had not worried too much, for at that time, Black Zetsu had not been anywhere nearby the Fire Country._

 _Otherwise, he would have not been able to call upon his chakra, as his mother's will would have definitely sensed him the moment he did so._

 _And such an outcome could have not been allowed to happen, for his entire plan relied on the element of surprise that his transmigrant, and implicitly he, possessed._

 _He had already risked too much by using his power to get his infant host out of the village, and only the extremely favorable circumstances had made it so that he was not caught._

 _Which was exactly why he could not afford any more gambles until his transmigrant was prepared enough to defend himself and carry through with the plan._

 _Though, despite managing to get his transmigrant to a safe and secluded place—somewhere on an island at the other end of the continent—with the help of an overcharged Summoning Technique, Hagoromo had still needed to make sure that little Naruto would have not fallen prey to the elements._

 _At that time, Naruto had been too young to be even capable of crawling, and that was exactly why it had truly been a boon for Hagoromo to be able to use chakra without the need of hand seals, for otherwise, he would have been in a truly dire predicament._

 _The middle of a jungle was not exactly the most hospitable place for an hour-old infant to find himself in, so Hagoromo had to quickly use his chakra for a second time, in order to materialize his will in the form of an amorphous black mass._

 _The irony of this action did not elude him, however, he did not have the time to ponder on it, for he needed to retreat deep within Naruto's soul in order to make sure that he would not damage his host too much._

 _He had already made too much use of his chakra in a very short timespan, and for the time being he could not call upon it anymore, lest it caused harm to the child._

 _But that was not a problem, for his manifested will could take care of everything else required until the time of his return was to finally come._

 _And so, Hagoromo began his wait for young Naruto to grow up until he would be ready for him to reveal himself and tell the young boy about his crucial role in the destiny of the world._

 _Time continued to flow unhindered, and the sage gradually allowed his chakra to absorb and replace that of the not-so-little-anymore Naruto as he also allowed some of his memories to appear to the young boy in his dreams._

 _Such a thing was important, for it would help him mould the boy into what he required for his plan to succeed._

 _There were many preparatory steps to the plan the Sage had devised, and the aforementioned one was merely one of them._

 _Some of them had already been accomplished, however, the last and most important of them would not be possible to realize until a certain condition was met._

 _Hagoromo knew that at some point his soul would be incapable of remaining within the mortal plane, as his chakra, which had been acting as an anchor for it ever since his death, would be eventually given to Naruto in its entirety, thus leaving his soul without anything to keep it from ascending to the Pure Realm._

 _But such an outcome could not exactly be favorable to the sage, as it essentially deprived him of the certainty that his plan would be seen through until its very end._

 _So, he had needed to do something in order to avoid such an outcome, which had been exactly what he had devised as the last step of his preparations, a step that would eventually become available when the entirety of his chakra replaced that of Naruto's, thus granting Hagoromo utmost insurance that his mistakes would finally be undone._

 _The years quickly passed, and as soon as young Naruto was old enough in order to be able to talk and understand what was happening around him, Hagoromo revealed himself to the boy for the first time._

 _Let it be said that it had been quite the tiring experience for the Sage of the Six Paths to deal with his transmigrant in person for the first time, however, in the end, his patience and calm nature had prevailed, and Hagoromo succeeded in convincing young Naruto to at least listen to what he had to say._

 _From that point onward, the two of them would always converse with each other whenever young Naruto was not busy with either training his body, his control over the chakra acquired from the Sage, or the kekkei mōra that he had awakened as a result of obtaining Hagoromo's unique and powerful chakra._

 _Those prerequisites were necessary in order to ensure that everything would be going smoothly after the final preparatory step was made, for Hagoromo could not risk anything when it came to matters of such crucial nature as his sole wish._

 _As the gears of time continued to turn, Naruto was gradually taught by Hagoromo about the history of the world, more specifically of the wars that mankind had constantly waged against itself, or how the humans were hopeless as a species, unless someone was there to properly hold their hand and guide them through the darkness of their existences._

 _Naruto also witnessed from Hagoromo's memories how far human greed and foolishness could reach, and he further resolved to help the Sage with his wish of bringing a lasting peace upon the shinobi world._

 _Thus, Naruto continued with his training as he listened closely and took to heart all of Hagoromo's teachings whenever they spoke, all the while bidding their time for when the time to strike would eventually arrive._

 _The boy would spend his days training to the bone in order to be able to fully utilize the chakra that he was slowly inheriting from Hagoromo, while during the night he would converse with the Sage whenever he was not being shown memories from his past._

 _The years quickly passed by as Naruto, Hagoromo, and his materialized will—whom the boy had at some point decided to name Alduin_ _(1)_ _—spent their time waiting on the deserted island for the time when all of the pieces to their plan would finally fall into proper place._

 _Alduin had proved to be most effective when it came to information gathering and espionage, as it had been capable of observing the events which had taken place in the Elemental Nations during the Sage's absence._

 _Hagoromo had been quite amused when Alduin had started to call him, and implicitly Naruto as its 'father', however, he did not have any qualms against it._

 _After all, it had been him the one who had created Alduin, so it made sense for it to refer to him as its father._

 _Time continued to pass unhindered, and so, the fateful day had eventually come to be as well._

 _The day when Hagoromo would have to do the last preparation for his plan to mend his past mistakes._

 _The Sage's chakra had been completely attuned to Naruto after a decade and a half of it slowly infusing his being, and now only a small portion of Hagoromo's power remained bound to his soul._

 _A mere remnant of his once formidable chakra, which he would use to finish the last preparation required for his plan to be finally put into motion._

 _After expressing one last wish to Naruto, Hagoromo used whatever had been left of his powerful chakra to merge his own soul with that of his transmigrant, an action which was required in order for the Sage to make sure that nothing could prevent his wish from being realized._

 _As soon as the fusing was completed, all of the yet unshared memories of Hagoromo, as well as the entirety of his life experiences and thoughts, were accumulated alongside Naruto's own into the resulting entity—the combined soul of the sage and his previous transmigrant._

 _Although there had not been any difficulties involving the process itself, this merging of two souls had turned out to have quite the interesting effect._

 _While Naruto was no longer capable of viewing himself as the same 'Naruto', he could not completely view himself as 'Hagoromo' either, even though their combined entity was given possession to all of their memories and life experiences._

 _Although, such an outcome made perfect sense, given how Hagoromo had, in essence, seamlessly melded two souls together, thus creating a completely new one as a result._

 _One which possessed its own psyche, with equal influences from both of those who had been perfectly blended in order to create it._

 _So, after a period of thorough introspection, Naruto concluded that despite the fact that he was neither 'Naruto', nor 'Hagoromo', he was still both and at the same time none of them._

 _Though with a little, or rather, not so little twist._

 _Given the fact that Hagoromo had made sure to mould his transmigrant in his own image as one of the prerequisites to his plan, it could be safely assumed that, in the end, the resulting entity of their merger was, in fact, a very unconventional reincarnation, as their combined soul was in reality almost an identical Hagoromo._

 _And following this conclusion, the young man decided to take his transmigrant's own forename, as a homage to his sacrifice and contribution toward the fulfillment of a long yearned-for wish._

 _Thus was born Ōtsutsuki Naruto, the one who held in remembrance the lives of both Hagoromo and Naruto and who carried their legacies and dreams into the future._

 _Not very long after that event, the time for Naruto to fulfill the Sage's and implicitly his wish finally came._

 _As soon as the young man received word from Alduin about the events that were transpiring in the Elemental Nations, he immediately departed from the uninhabited island, his destination being the battlefield of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the place where the beginning of the end would commence._

 _Upon his arrival to the battlefield, the young man decided to first deal with a certain misbehaving Uchiha, the one who had also been the previous transmigrant of his eldest son's chakra, and quickly made his way to the aforementioned man's location._

 _The moment when Naruto appeared in front of a Madara who had just finished disposing of yet another one of Hashirama's wood clones, said Uchiha patriarch seemed to be startled at the unexpected arrival, however, his surprise had been rather short lived._

 _The young man did not even give Madara time to raise himself from his seated position on the ground and simply gazed at him, shocking the reanimated Uchiha as he revealed him his purple, rippling eyes._

 _Not even a moment later, Naruto shook his head in sadness and disappointment at Indra's previous transmigrant, moment after which he simply watched as the Edo Tensei in front of him was quickly engulfed in a bright light._

 _This action instantly brought an expression of panic upon Madara's features, as he was not able to do anything but watch in helplessness how his reanimated body rapidly began to crumble away into dust._

 _With a look of resignation on his face, the patriarch of the Uchiha clan used his little remaining time in the mortal plane to address a question to the one who had so effortlessly defeated him._

 _Curious about the young man's identity, he asked for his name, though, as soon as he received the response, he couldn't hold back his laughter at the revelation._

 _Such was the absurdity of it all that Madara kept laughing even as his soul began its ascension toward the Pure World, his last thoughts being those of him wondering about the reason for why the Sage of the Six Paths would have returned to the mortal plane._

 _After having watched the Uchiha patriarch's soul finally disappear into the heavens, Naruto turned to face the gigantic red barrier that seemed to contain the object of interest to his plans._

 _Faster than anyone's eyes could have traced, he quickly appeared next to the translucent walls of the barrier and with a mere touch of his hand he collapsed it by absorbing the chakra fueling it._

 _This action, however, had made his presence known to everyone present, as the four reanimated hokage, who had been maintaining the barrier, instantly focused their attention on him, along with the rest of the present shinobi who had also noticed the barrier disappearing._

 _The young man did not seem to pay any mind to the multitude of stares that were fixed upon his form and instead gazed at the gigantic and terrifying sight of the incomplete Ten-Tails, which appeared to be bound by a rather strong sealing technique that kept its movements restrained._

 _After a few moments of thought, Naruto slowly raised his hand toward the immobilized form of the Jūbi, before he lazily flicked his wrist as he surged his chakra._

 _The gathered shinobi all looked in awe as the massive wooden torii that had been previously keeping the Ten-Tails bound were all dislodged from the ground by an unseen force, before they were forcefully launched through the air until they eventually disappeared into the far distance._

 _However, horror soon gripped most of them, as they quickly came to realize that with the loss of those constraints, the Jūbi was set completely free, a development which could have only spelt doom for everyone._

 _And yet, to every onlooker's shock, the titanic beast did not move._

 _It simply stood there, rooted in place while gazing at the one whom had just released it from its bindings, as though it seemed to recognize him to some extent._

 _A few moments passed when suddenly, the incomplete Ten-Tails let out an ear splitting scream, before it opened its maw wide as it began to charge a huge tailed beast bomb which only grew in size with every passing second._

 _Seeing that happen, the previous feeling of dread quickly returned among most of the people present, as they knew that they could do next to nothing to stop the beast, and that their only hopes were the four reanimated hokage, along with the jinchūriki of the eight and nine tails._

 _Just as both the aforementioned hokage and jinchūriki were preparing to act in order to protect the others from the gigantic bijūdama that the Jūbi was about to fire, they stopped in their tracks the moment when they had sensed another surge of chakra from the unknown young man who had previously disposed of the Four Red Yang Formation with a mere touch of his hand._

 _Having decided to wait and see what the newcomer would be doing, the reincarnated hokage signaled the others to also stand back for the time being and simply observe the young man in the hope that they might learn more about him and whether he was actually a foe or not._

 _Thus, the shinobi present on the battlefield watched as a pitch black sphere the size of a human fist phased into existence in front of the young man, before it disappeared from their sight as it quickly darted off at untraceable speeds toward the direction of the Ten-Tails._

 _As soon as the dark colored ball reached its destination, it promptly stopped, hovering above the beast for a few moments, after which it split itself in six, with each one of the fragments morphing into a rod that was set ablaze in red colored chakra._

 _The six black colored rods immediately shot off at equal distances around the Jūbi, embedding themselves into the ground as they formed a hexagon shape with the creature in the middle._

 _Amazement once more colored everyone's faces as they heard a single word be uttered by the young man, before they witnessed a similar yet undeniably different barrier get erected around the terrifying form of the Ten-Tails._

 _Momentarily marveling at the unbelievable amount of chakra which seemed to have been put behind the red tinted barrier, some of the shinobi present sighed in relief as they quickly realized that the danger of imminent death had left them for the time being._

 _The four hokage, along with few other shinobi, continued to carefully observe the young man as they wondered just who he was to be capable of such incredible feats, on top of possessing a chakra so powerful that it had elicited that kind of a response from the Jūbi itself._

 _However, the thoughts of every shinobi present were interrupted when they felt the ground shake beneath their feet, and their attention was quickly brought upon the sight of the barrier, which became heavily bloated due to the extreme force behind the attack that had just been unleashed within it by the enraged Ten-Tails._

 _The barrier quickly expanded even further, convulsing uncontrollably under the enormous pressure exerted inside of it, before a huge mass of smoke was expelled through its far opening toward the sky._

 _By the time when the barrier finally settled in the wake of the previous explosion and reassumed its usual hexagonal shape, the sight of the unharmed Jūbi could be seen inside, as the beast seemed to have been driven into even more of a frenzy and was fiercely smashing its tails against the unyielding walls of its translucent cage._

 _After carefully considering his following course of action, Naruto decided to temporarily postpone the matter of the Ten-Tails, since it would have definitely been preferable for him to deal with any potential interruptions, before they actually occurred and delayed him from his plan._

 _Not even a moment later, and a chorus of shrill screams snapped the young man from his musings, prompting him to suppress a sigh as he realized that some annoyances were still left unchecked._

 _Looking around himself, he quickly noticed how all of the remaining fission creatures, which had more than likely been spawned by the Jūbi before his arrival, had apparently forgone their previous opponents and began charging toward his position._

 _Seemingly unfazed by this predicament, Naruto leveled his arms at the many incoming hundreds of frenzied creatures, and upturned his hands as he slowly raised them._

 _Once again, most of the people on the battlefield could only stare in awe as, after a brief rumbling of the earth, a multitude of massive hands made out of what appeared to be molten lava quickly burst forth from the ground and easily took hold in their fiery grip of each and every one of those dreadful creatures._

 _And what followed after that made some of the onlookers pity the fission beings, even though they had been fighting them for their own lives until only a few minutes prior._

 _Everyone watched how the unknown young man clenched the fists of his raised hands, before their attention was quickly drawn to the many immobilized creatures surrounding him as painful shrieks escaped their maws when each and every one of them was slowly squashed into molten bits by the scorching appendages._

 _The entirety of the shinobi army continued to watch in something akin to morbid fascination as the dozens of hands made out of lava turned the creatures previously trapped within their grips into a sizzling puddle, after which they seemed to rapidly cool off, until only warm sculptures of obsidian splendor were left behind._

 _After briefly glancing at his handiwork in mild appreciation, Naruto once again ignored the murmurs and stares that he was receiving, and simply vanished from his previous spot as he headed towards the area where the remaining Edo Tensei and the jinchūriki resided._

 _The moment when he appeared in front of the four hokage, he received looks of shock from one of them, as well as from both of the jinchūriki, whose tailed beasts had more than likely told them about his identity as soon as they had sensed his chakra for the first time._

 _However, just before any of the hokage could have said anything, they were interrupted by the bright glow which completely engulfed their reanimated bodies, as the technique that bound them to the mortal plane was released, thus prompting their previously immortal bodies to slowly revert back into ash._

 _The jinchūriki of Kurama, a girl in her middle to late teens with long golden hair, seemed to be quite distraught by this development as she immediately rushed toward one of the Edo Tensei, a man with a similar colored hair, and looked at him with misty eyes._

 _The man, however, simply smiled and ruffled her hair with one hand as he spoke something to her, which seemed to have had the effect of calming her, as well as bring a smile on her beautiful features._

 _Unfortunately, their discussion was cut short when the young man walked in front of the yellow haired hokage and placed a hand on the man's crumbling abdomen, before he began extracting the Yin half of the Kyūbi._

 _As soon as the reanimated hokage saw the newcomer's face from up close, he seemed to realize that the young man bore quite the striking resemblance to his son who had gone missing during the Kyūbi incident, a piece of information that he had obtained from his predecessor after they had been brought back with the Edo Tensei._

 _However, after asking for a confirmation on the young man's part, he was left saddened by the reply that he had been given._

 _Naruto simply told him that it did not matter, for regardless of what he answered, it would have not made any difference whatsoever to the final outcome._

 _And, sadly, the young man's words were more than true, for he held absolutely no emotional attachment to the one who had been the father of his transmigrant._

 _The only thing that he actually felt for the man was simple gratitude for being one of the two people who had paved the beginning of the way toward the fulfillment of his wish._

 _As that exchange between the young man and the fourth hokage was taking place, the young female jinchūriki, who was standing only a couple feet behind them, was still processing what she had learnt from the newcomer's short discussion with her father._

 _The question that her father had asked the newcomer took her by surprise, as she had never been told about the existence of any sibling, so upon hearing her father call that person her brother, she was left shocked, confused and angered._

 _Shocked because she had not been expecting such a revelation._

 _Confused because she had absolutely no idea about how such a thing could have happened._

 _And angered due to the answer that her alleged brother had given to her father._

 _For her, a person who held very dear and treasured each and every one of her bonds, to hear her brother say such a thing to their father had left her seething, reason for why she immediately addressed the young man, as she demanded an explanation for everything._

 _Unfortunately for her, Naruto did not even seem to acknowledge her, thus prompting an angered expression to cross her features, as after several moments of silence she quickly realized that no reply would be coming from the young man._

 _Feeling her anger grow even more in the face of such blatant indifference, the girl instantly charged a huge rasengan in her left hand and charged at the mysterious newcomer, completely missing the concerned look that her father sent her just before his body had completely crumbled, and aimed her rasengan at the young man's back._

 _However, to her further surprise and shock, when only a few millimeters away from shoving the big ball of spiraling chakra into his back, she was suddenly stopped in midair by an unseen force which seemed to prevent her from moving even a finger._

 _And her shock only grew when a familiar-looking, translucent barrier shimmered into existence around the young man, prompting the spinning ball of chakra in her hand to quickly be absorbed into said barrier._

 _Having been rendered unable to move as she continued to be kept floating above ground by the invisible force, the blonde girl could do nothing but listen to how she was being yelled at by the bijū sealed within her, as he was berating her for being so stupid and impulsive that she had actually attempted to attack the Rikudō Sennin himself._

 _Quite predictably, her predicament quickly degenerated into a yelling contest inside her own mind, as she began venting all of her accumulated stress at the unfortunate tailed beast, who could only lament at its lack of luck for having the whole war start only one day before its host would be having her time of the month._

 _Several moments later, the young female was snapped out of her heated internal exchange when she felt another spike of chakra coming from the young man in front of her just as he had released his hold on what appeared to be the soul of her father, which quickly finished its ascension toward the Pure Realm._

 _Almost immediately, the last vestiges of her anger were discarded when her attention, along with everyone else's, was brought to the towering mass of chakra which had been manifested next to the young man, before it quickly shaped itself into an identical version of Kyūbi, save for its much darker shade of orange fur._

 _Not even a second later, both the jinchūriki of the eight and nine tails felt their perception of the world change, and by the time it took them to blink, they found themselves in a completely different place, along with the nine bijū, as well as with the mysterious young man._

 _While Naruto gazed at the gathered tailed beasts encircling him, he once again felt quite the nostalgia fill him._

 _He was glad that their chakra within the Jūbi had yet to properly meld and settle, because if that would have been the case, then he would have not been able to summon all of their consciousnesses together for one last time in order to properly depart from them._

 _The bijū themselves seemed to be surprised as soon as they had taken notice of their surroundings, however they quickly realized that they had been summoned by their creator and took a moment to wonder about the reason for why he was back in the mortal world, as well as how it had been possible for him to return._

 _Fortunately, the Sage himself decided to offer them the answer, alongside explaining them about what would be happening to the shinobi world from that point onward._

 _By the time Naruto's explanation was over, the bijū seemed to have been quite troubled by the Sage's words and even felt sadness upon hearing their father figure express such lament._

 _They did not seem to be bothered all that much by the knowledge that they would have to be sacrificed in order for peace to be finally brought in their war torn world and they quickly agreed to do whatever it was in their power to help the sage._

 _After all, it had been the sage who had brought them into existence, and if their creator so much as wished to undo his creation, then they could not truly oppose him._

 _It had been due to him creating them that they had been able to experience living up to that point, so who were they to go against his wishes, especially when by doing so they would sadden him even more?_

 _Unfortunately, one of the jinchūriki present alongside the bijū did not seem to express the same belief that the tailed beasts shared when it came to their fate._

 _The female jinchūriki had been quite vehement with her disagreement and complaints against the Rikudō Sennin's decision, since she did not want for the bijū to have to be sacrificed, however, after further explanations and some persuasion from both of Kurama's halves, she had eventually yielded._

 _And the fact that the Sage of the Six Paths himself had also given her a brief yet rather harsh lecture in the history of mankind from its origins to the present day, made it more than clear to her that in order for the world to know peace, the Shinju would have to be reformed from the union of all the tailed beasts._

 _As soon as they concluded their discussion, Naruto returned the two jinchūriki and the bijū back to the real world while he prepared to proceed with the next part of his plan._

 _Addressing all of the shinobi present on the battlefield, Naruto finally introduced himself formally as the Rikudō Sennin, a revelation which once more brought looks of shock on the faces of everyone present._

 _And despite how most of them might have wanted to balk at the young man's claim of being the legendary Sage of the Six Paths, they could do no such thing, for they had already felt and witnessed his power less than a few minutes prior._

 _Naruto brought out everyone out of their stupor when he addressed them once more, telling them not to interfere, as any matters pertaining to the Jūbi were no longer their concern and that they should simply wait patiently for everything to be over._

 _Almost everyone seemed to understand that following the young man's instructions would have been the wisest thing to do in such a situation, especially since they had just learnt that they were dealing with the reincarnation of the founder of the shinobi world, the Rikudō Sennin himself._

 _But that detail aside, it would have truly been both foolish and suicidal for anyone who had been a witness to the previous feats displayed by the young man to attempt to oppose him, given how he could dismiss the Edo Tensei technique with a mere glance, or how he could bat aside the strongest sealing technique of Senju Hashirama with a casual flick of the wrist._

 _And yet, there actually seemed to be some people who would have easily fit into either one or both of the aforementioned categories._

 _Naruto had to suppress another sigh when he noticed how some of the people around him did not seem to have taken heed of his previous words, and instead decided to do the exact opposite to what he had previously asked of them._

 _Not wishing to needlessly prolong the matters, Naruto simply tapped his left foot lightly against the soil, prompting a torrent of sand to burst forth from the ground around him, before it quickly darted at high speed toward the several shinobi who were running toward him ready for a fight, and enveloped them in tight cocoons that completely restrained their movements._

 _The recently immobilized people soon realized the folly of their actions, and were thankful that they had not actually incurred the sage's ire through their previous foolishness._

 _Several shinobi began making sarcastic remarks about their comrades' stupidity, while some other just marveled once more at the legendary sage's power._

 _But the young man had long dismissed them, since he had quickly focused back on the matters that involved his plan._

 _Turning to face the female jinchūriki next to him who until that point had been observing him with a conflicted expression, Naruto slowly approached her until they were only several inches apart._

 _Briefly glancing at her face, the young man reassured the golden haired girl that she would not die as a result to the extraction of the tailed beast within her._

 _The girl, however, slowly shook her head at his words as she told him that it had not been that thought which had troubled her._

 _She immediately continued as soon as she saw his questioning look and asked him if he truly was the one who her father had claimed that he was._

 _The answer that she was given seemed to bring her more sadness than confusion as his last words continued to echo within her mind._

 _The young man told her that he could, in a sense, be called her brother, but that it still did not matter, for he would be gone after everything was over, and very unlikely to return within her lifetime._

 _Interrupting her before she could have said anything in reply, Naruto told the girl that their conversation was over, before he placed a hand on her navel as he began extracting the bijū sealed within her._

 _The female jinchūriki gazed at her brother's stoic face as a lone tear escaped her eyes, however, she kept silent as she realized that regardless of what she said to him, there would be no changing of his mind._

 _A few moments later, and another huge mass of chakra gained form next to Naruto's position as he finished extracting the Yang half of Kurama from within the golden haired jinchūriki, who for the entire time had been looking at him with sadness reflecting in her blue eyes._

 _The young man gave one last look to the girl in from of him, before he turned around and walked in front of Gyūki's jinchūriki, a dark skinned man who seemed to be doing another one of his bad attempts at rapping._

 _Ignoring the man's antics, Naruto quickly began the extraction of the eight tails as he contemplated his next course of action._

 _Deciding that it was time to finally deal with the matter of the Ten-Tails, the young man glanced in the direction of the red tinted barrier which had been holding back the terrifying creature for the past minutes, before he made a half-ram seal with his free hand as he focused his power on the incomplete Jūbi._

 _What happened next prompted most of the shinobi on the battlefield to once again look at the reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths in nothing but awe as they seemed to have trouble comprehending the extent of his legendary power._

 _At the same time with the emergence of Gyūki next to the Yin and Yang halves of Kurama, the titanic form of the Ten-Tails let out another shrill scream, before it suddenly froze in its place, as it no longer flailed its massive tails against the walls of its cage._

 _Moving away from the former jinchūriki of the eight tails, Naruto walked in the direction of the translucent barrier, his rippled eyes watching as it slowly began to disappear._

 _Several of the gathered shinobi looked in apprehension when they noticed the sole thing keeping them away from a sure death dissolve into nothingness, however, they quickly pushed away their irrational fear as they reminded themselves that they had just seen the legendary sage immobilize the fearsome beast only a few moments prior._

 _While Naruto seemed to be engaging in a staring contest with the Jūbi which could do nothing more than glower at him in defiance with its lone eye, his attention was torn away from the colossal beast the moment when he sensed a certain chakra signature flicker into existence exactly in the direction where he had previously been gazing in._

 _From a vortex in the air above the Ten-Tails, a dark haired middle-aged man with a gaping wound in his chest emerged, before he fell on his back atop the gigantic head of the beast._

 _In a feat which seemed to have no longer surprised most of the onlookers, Naruto took to the skies, instantly vanishing from his previous spot as he landed a moment later next to the barely alive Uchiha._

 _The pained expression on Obito's face momentarily made way for one of confusion when he noticed the unknown young man appear next to him, however, his visage instantly contorted into one of fear when he saw the rippling eyes staring down at him in something akin to a mixture of disappointment and pity._

 _Not knowing what had happened on the battlefield during his fight with Kakashi in the Kamui dimension, on top of not even understanding how could another Rinnegan user could exist, the gravely injured Uchiha tried to sense for the reanimated Madara's chakra in the hope that he might know something._

 _Confusion once more filled Obito when he was not able to find any trace of the Uchiha patriarch's presence, however, after only a few moments of thought, horror quickly gripped at his being as he finally made the connection._

 _Seeing a look of panic rapidly spread over the fatally wounded man's visage, Naruto raised a nonexistent eyebrow in curiosity as he watched the man splayed on his back next to his feet seemingly go through a panic attack._

 _However, the young man's gaze gained a sharp edge to it the moment he noticed the nearly dead Uchiha attempt to form a ram hand seal._

 _Obito gasped in shock when his arms suddenly froze before he could have placed them in the hand sign required to initiate the fūinjutsu for sealing the Ten-Tails within himself, and he immediately felt his body become completely unresponsive to his commands as it started getting pulled upwards by the same invisible force that was keeping him from moving as much as a finger._

 _The last thing that the dark haired Uchiha saw before darkness quickly claimed his vision, was the young man shaking his head at him in disapproval while he reached with one of his hands toward him._

 _Naruto gave a brief look to the soul that he had just separated from the dead body floating in front of him, letting out a sigh as he skimmed through its recent memories, before he finally released it into the Pure World._

 _He had to admit that Obito did not have the most enjoyable life, not that he had not already witnessed most of it before his reincarnation, and that the man should, at least, be allowed to have his eternal rest alongside the love of his life._

 _After glancing back at the corpse still hovering in front of him, Naruto quickly plucked out the Rinnegan from its left eye socket, before he disintegrated said eye in his left palm as he floated down from atop the Jūbi's gigantic head, with the dead body of Uchiha Obito following suit behind him._

 _As Naruto landed swiftly on the rocky soil, he momentarily switched his attention from the Jūbi to the blonde former jinchūriki when he noticed her run toward his position with an exhausted looking silver haired man, who was slung over her left shoulder in a fireman's carry._

 _With a wave of his hand, the young man quickly sent the floating corpse behind him in their direction, slowly setting it on the ground in front of them, before he faced away as he sensed a very familiar presence get closer to his position._

 _Ignoring the blonde girl and the silver haired middle-aged man, who seemed to be having a somber discussion revolving around the corpse lying at their feet, the young man quickly turned his attention to the black humanoid figure that had emerged from the ground next to him._

 _A small smile upturned Naruto's lips as soon as he noticed the seemingly identical creature that Alduin was carrying slung over one of its shoulders, and watched as his creation unceremoniously threw the shocked mass of black goo on the ground in front of him._

 _The young man slowly crouched down in front of the seal-bound form of Black Zetsu, and placed both of his hands on the creature while he watched it glower at him impotently._

 _Not even a moment later, and the immobilized creature began to disintegrate as Naruto's Yin-Yang release quickly unmade it from creation._

 _Moments after he was done removing his mother's will from existence, the young man's attention was once more brought upon Alduin as the creature handed him the other thing that he had asked of it to retrieve besides the no longer existent Black Zetsu._

 _Briefly glancing at the small plastic bag in his left palm which contained the other Rinnegan of Uchiha Madara, Naruto did to it the same that he had done to the other eye only a few minutes prior._

 _As soon as the remaining Rinnegan of the pair was also destroyed, the young man returned his attention on the titanic form of the Jūbi, whose blood red eye had been glaring at him with fierce intensity the entire time, before he placed his hands in the snake seal as he focused a good portion of his power on the terrifying creature._

 _Not even a second later, and the Ten-Tails let out another piercing shriek as three thick ethereal chains of a purple color burst out of its widened maw, each one of them heading toward one of the remaining beasts at frightening speeds._

 _The bijū, however, had not even attempted to dodge the incoming bindings, and simply stood their ground, with their visages set in expressions of stoic resolution as they waited for their creator to reunite them back into one._

 _The speeding chains made up of flickering chakra quickly found their targets and wrapped themselves around the tailed beasts, before they proceeded to drag them back towards the awaiting maw of the Jūbi._

 _After the last drop of the bijū's chakra was returned back to the terrifying beast, it seemed to rapidly undergo a transformation as it finally attained its complete form, which looked even more terrifying than its previous one._

 _Feeling the control that he was exerting over the Ten-Tails start to slightly slip due to the beast's drastic increase in power, Naruto instantly focused even more of his power upon it while he placed his hands in the ram seal._

 _Not even a moment later, the Jūbi began to be quickly absorbed within him, a process which once again turned him into its jinchūriki, just as it had happened a millennium before, when he had sealed his mother with the help of his brother._

 _Ending his brief reminiscence, the young man, who now possessed pure white hair instead of his previous blond, proceeded to manifest the Ten-Tails in its true form—that of the Shinju—outside of him, before he began levitating toward the moon, with his intent clearly being that of awakening the original dōjutsu._

 _As soon as he reached a certain altitude, Naruto felt the skin in the middle of his brow split open as it revealed his newly awakened Rinne Sharingan, moment when he stopped from his ascent and remained still for a short while as he allowed himself be bathed in the ethereal glow of the bright moonlight._

 _A few moments later, the snow-white haired young man finally activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi and instantly brought forth an intense light that bathed the entire world in its radiance, piercing any and all shadows as every living creature possessing chakra was quickly put under the effects of the most powerful genjutsu._

 _Then, he placed his arms in the snake seal and activated the technique God: Nativity of a World of Trees, through which he quickly bound everything that had been previously caught within the Infinite Tsukuyomi to the Shinju itself._

 _However, before he began the process of regathering the entirety of the world's chakra which he had foolishly spread around to mankind during his previous life as Hagoromo, Naruto plunged his left hand through his chest, from where he slowly pulled out what appeared to be a white, almost translucent mass of energy, whose form resembled that of a distinctive female humanoid figure, with a pair of horns that looked like two rabbit ears._

 _The young man gazed at the soul that he held within his palm, and after he spoke to it a few words of apology and comfort, he sent it to the Pure World, the place where it would be spending its eternal rest._

 _After several moments of pensive silence, Naruto focused on the entirety of the living things that had been previously bound to the Shinju, and then began the process of regathering the entirety of chakra back into the Divine Tree._

 _Making sure that the deprivation of what had amounted to being a life energy for longer than a millennium would not be the cause of any deaths, the young man took the necessary time required for the Shinju to drain the chakra of all those bound to it._

 _During the time it took for the process to be completed, he extended his senses over the entire planet as he checked for any fragment of chakra that might have been missed by the God Tree's massive roots._

 _One of his nonexistent eyebrows was quirked in surprise when he noticed a very faint chakra signature flicker somewhere within the proximity of his transmigrant's birth village, however, after a brief consideration, he concluded that it must have been someone close to dying, so he decided to ignore it, since it would have not made any difference whether he also retrieved that tiny sliver of chakra or not._

 _As soon as the Shinju took back the chakra from all of those who had been bound to it, a few minutes passed, before the entirety of chakra finally reformed once more into the chakra fruit._

 _Feeling relieved and content with his success of finally correcting the gravest of his mistakes, Naruto went and plucked the glowing fruit from the God Tree, before he formed a half ram seal and watched how the gigantic tree quickly returned within him._

 _Still feeling almost ecstatic due to his previous accomplishment, the young man shifted his gaze to the peculiar fruit that he held within his palms while he contemplated about the remaining thing that he needed to do in order to completely fulfill his wish._

 _However, not even a few moments in his musings, and he was struck by a rather perplexing thought regarding the fruit of unfathomable power that was tightly secured in his hands._

 _For the following few minutes, he proceeded to wonder about what he was supposed to do with said exotic looking fruit._

 _Apparently, Hagoromo had never thought about what he would be doing with the chakra fruit once it had actually been reformed._

 _And at this point, Naruto was not exactly sure about what would happen if he were to consume it in his current state as the jinchūriki of the Jūbi._

 _For all he knew, anything could happen if he were to eat the eerily glowing fruit._

 _He already possessed a chakra which equaled that of his mother, so if he were to add another fruit into the mix, then that should technically bring him to something along the lines of double or even more of that amount of power._

 _Or so he had thought at that time._

 _Despite knowing that he could not let the fruit there for someone else to possibly eat and restart the entire fiasco that he had just brought to an end, Naruto did not exactly wish to go blind into whatever consuming the fruit entailed, either._

 _A few more minutes of careful contemplation later, and the young man decided to take his chances and just eat the damned fruit, since he concluded that should anything unexpected occur, then he would worry about crossing that bridge at that time._

 _And thus, he wasted no more time and quickly devoured the glowing fruit in his palms._

 _The following several moments after he finished consuming the chakra fruit passed with nothing seemingly happening, however, after a few more seconds, an euphoric feeling of empowerment, so intense that it reached his very soul, suddenly flooded through his being._

 _And then, as soon as that indescribable feeling began to slowly subside, another inexplicable feeling, one of utmost calmness and serenity, rapidly took hold of him._

 _He did not know what had happened, however, he did not seem to even care, for he was simply too immersed into that feeling of absolute tranquility that he had just begun to experience._

 _It felt as though he had somehow reached a state of meditation so incredibly profound that the sheer peacefulness he was feeling prevented him from even contemplating about doing something that could lead to that feeling fading away._

 _And so, Naruto simply immersed himself even deeper into that incredible ataraxia which had engulfed his mind while he marveled at the foreign feeling that he soon came to experience._

 _It felt very similar to his heightened perception of the world caused by his senjutsu, yet at the same time vastly different, and he was unable to find any words that could have possibly described it._

 _In a way, the feeling was similar to the perception of the world that he possessed ever since he had awakened his Six Paths Senjutsu, however, it extended much beyond that, since instead of him just being capable of sensing the world around him, at this point, he could actually feel it, as though he had become connected to it in the most intimate way possible._

 _Everything that he could feel was him, and he was everything that he could feel._

 _That was the sole thought going through his mind as he continued to revel himself in the otherworldly feeling that he had just become capable of discerning._

 _And while all of that was transpiring within his psyche, from an outside perspective, it could have been easily said that things had proceeded quite different from what the young man might have thought to have been the case at that time._

 _Immediately after he had consumed the chakra fruit, his body had assumed a form which could have easily given permanent scars to those of a weaker mind, as it essentially represented a crude amalgamation of an eldritch abomination and a gigantic tree._

 _But that had been only the beginning of it._

 _After a while, said nightmare fuel had slowly begun to release white wisps of energy as more and more of its surface came to be engulfed in flickering chakra, until suddenly, as if a metamorphosis had finally come to an end, the entirety of the horrifying entity had burst into an incredibly dense and rapidly expanding mass of pure chakra._

 _The cloud of chakra had instantly encompassed its surroundings and began to slowly disperse as it travelled beyond what could be seen, until it seemed that it was melding with the world itself._

 _Still immersed within his incredibly profound state of meditation, even after the passing of a few hours, Naruto was eventually brought out of it when he heard the concerned voice of Alduin resound within his mind._

 _Almost instantly, his focus was drawn away from the inexplicable sensations that he had been experiencing so far, thus bringing upon him the realization of what had actually transpired._

 _The first thought that entered his mind was one which eloquently detailed how his consuming of the chakra fruit had not been exactly the most wise thing that he had done in this life._

 _And yet, it did not quite compare with what he had done in his previous life._

 _Still, that did not excuse him for his momentary lack of foresight, which was why he took a few moments to chastise himself for being so uncharacteristically impulsive._

 _He might have been almost ecstatic at that time due to him having accomplished more than half of his long time yearned-for wish, however, that did not exactly excuse him for such thoughtlessness._

 _Although, if he had to rationalize further on the matter, he could actually find the root of his out of character behavior to lie somewhere within the fact that he had been left with no other option besides the eating of the chakra fruit._

 _He could have not possibly destroyed it, since such an attempt would have most likely been met with failure. On top of being very, very reckless and not to mention incredibly foolish._

 _There was truly nothing which could have destroyed the pure chakra contained by the fruit, and had he actually attempted to do it, chanced would have been that he actually destroyed the world._

 _And that in the fortunate scenario, because such a release of energy could have easily torn to shreds the fabric between his world and any other in close proximity to it._

 _But those things aside, he was aware of the fact that what had just transpired had not exactly been a bad thing._

 _Sure, he was still in the process of diffusing throughout the universe, followed by a subsequent melding with it for the past few hours, though that should not pose too much of a problem to him._

 _Or so he hoped._

 _In reality, Naruto came to the not-so-startling realization that pulling himself back together might not be exactly as easy as he had initially thought it to be._

 _Especially when he had already melded rather intimately with the natural energy present in quite the significant chunk of his universe. And that the rest of his chakra was still merrily on its way toward exploring and claiming the rest of the uncharted territories of his world._

 _Even his soul seemed to have spread all over the place and it was most likely the sole thing left of him besides, obviously, his chakra._

 _Naruto would have honestly sighed if he actually possessed a mouth, or if he was certain that by doing the equivalent of a sigh in his current form, he would not accidentally blow up a planet. Or create a black hole for that matter. Or even worse, rip a hole through the fabric of his world._

 _Still, he did not worry. Not too much anyway, because during the past few minutes he had been able to slow down his diffusion throughout the universe to the point that it had finally stopped._

 _As much as he might have wanted to see what would have happened had he allowed himself to diffuse throughout the universe until he hit its edge or something, Naruto had to leave that particular curiosity of his for another time, since he still had yet to truly accomplish what he had desired for so long._

 _Therefore, he wasted no more time and proceeded to carefully gather himself together, so as to not accidentally tear a hole in the fabric of the world when he recalled his chakra, alongside with the natural energy that it had balanced itself with._

 _Let it be said that it has been quite the dull process, and only his newly acquired nigh omnipresence and omniscience, coupled with Alduin keeping him company through their telepathic link, prevented him from getting acquainted with the dreaded concept of boredom._

 _Although, in the end, he needed to rely on Alduin's telepathic company, because the part of his universe that he had been melded with did not turn out to be that much interesting, with the sole exception being the occasional planet with strange yet unfortunately unintelligent life forms on it._

 _By the time Naruto returned to the confines of his solar system, a rather unexpected and mildly unpleasant revelation was made known to him._

 _Apparently, his own power had become so absurdly great that it seemed to be opposing his attempts at condensing himself, since it simply did not find it natural to be compressed and constricted to such a level._

 _Feeling another urge to sigh, Naruto intensified his efforts even more, and was pleased to observe that his soul and chakra began making their way back toward his planet._

 _Several more minutes later, and he was once again met with the same problem, however, this time the opposition seemed to be much, much greater._

 _Naruto could no longer contain his urge to sigh and finally did so, but due to the fact that he had only managed to assume the form of a flickering Jūbi so far, his previous sigh had come out as a devastating roar, which had obliterated the unfortunate mountain standing in front of him._

 _Not feeling particularly sorry for casually blowing up a mountain due to an overpowered sigh, Naruto summoned all of his willpower to aid him in his task, and after also adding his Yin-Yang power to the mix in order to coordinate the process, he was finally rewarded with his sought-after result._

 _He once more possessed a body._

 _Although, referring to it as a body would have been more than simply absurd, given how whatever it was the form that he had managed to assume with such a difficulty on his part, a body it most certainly was not._

 _A magical body, perhaps, but even calling it such would have been quite the stretch._

 _In the end, what he had managed to create by willing his own power into that form, had been just that, a form for his power to be accommodated into, in order for him to be able to normally interact with the world, without him accidentally obliterating his surroundings. Or outright warping the reality due to his intimate connection to it._

 _Letting out another sigh, which fortunately did not blow anything into smithereens, Naruto proceeded to inspect his new form, all the while musing about his new status and the implications which came with it._

 _First of all, he could say with certainty that upon eating the chakra fruit he had stopped being the Jūbi jinchūriki, as the consuming of that fruit had triggered something akin to what his mother must have done when she had fused with the Shinju._

 _However, as opposed to what his mother had ended up as, in his case, due to the fact that he had consumed another chakra fruit, when he had already possessed the power originating from a previous one, on top of housing the Shinju within his being, the outcome had been drastically different._

 _Different as in him suddenly blowing up in a very dense and quickly expanding cloud of chakra, after he had actually spent several hours stuck in the form of a half plant half eldritch abomination monstrosity as he had passively absorbed natural energy from the surrounding world._

 _Secondly, he had spent another few good hours not even realizing what it had been that had happened to him, time during which he had started diffusing throughout the cosmos._

 _Nice, right?_

 _Not quite._

 _Why?_

 _Because it had been more than goddamn hard for him to pull himself back together, due to the fact that, somehow, his power had become so unbelievably cosmic, that it had taken him almost the entirety of his willpower in order to get himself back into a human-like form._

 _Furthermore, it seemed that upon his metamorphosis, he had technically ascended to something which embodied the very concept of chakra itself._

 _A primordial god of chakra if he had to use a more specific term._

 _And while he had not actually minded that development, he did not have all that much knowledge on what his current status entailed._

 _Immortality?_

 _That definitely seemed to be the case, although he was pretty much certain that he could be temporarily incapacitated through the use of natural energy infused attacks._

 _But since there was no other entity capable of using chakra other than him, Alduin, the dying person near Konohagakure, and the sole source that he had previously sensed on the moon—one that would be dealt with later—he could safely mark that off the list._

 _Unlimited power?_

 _Considering the fact that despite having diffused to the extent that he had almost reached the edge of his galaxy, his power had still seemed to be replenishing itself at a rate which could have managed to offset the rate of dispersion given enough time... it would be safe to assume that this aspect, too, could be checked off the metaphorical list._

 _And that effectively left him with nothing else to contemplate about._

 _Except perhaps about whether or not he should do a brief test run of his newly acquired ability._

 _Deciding in the favor of his curiosity, Naruto mentally called for Alduin, who had been more that happy to oblige, and proceeded with his experimentation._

 _The first thing that he did was to form a gudōdama, one which he immediately shaped into a sword, before he used it to cut off his left hand._

 _The young man watched in curiosity mixed with fascination how, immediately after being severed, his hand turned into a very similar looking dense mist, which instantly began converging back toward the flickering stump, where it proceeded to assemble itself back into an identical looking limb._

 _Gazing for several more moments at his reformed hand, Naruto flexed it a few times, before he glanced at Alduin, who had also been watching in great interest and fascination what had just transpired._

 _His following words, however, seemed to take his creation by surprise, as he asked it to gather some natural energy from the surroundings, balance it with its chakra, and then hit his arm with the resulting senjutsu chakra._

 _Reluctantly agreeing to its father's request, Alduin did as told, and fired a blast of natural energy infused chakra at the young man's left arm._

 _As expected on Naruto's part, a good chunk of his left arm was blown away, while whatever remained of it dropped next to his feet, however, this time, upon dispersing itself into the same white mist, his chakra did not immediately attempt to return back to him and actually began to slowly disperse once more into the surroundings._

 _The young man briefly glanced at his jagged stump, noting how the flickering of chakra did not seem to be as intense as previously, before he focused on the dispersing chakra as he attempted to will it back toward himself._

 _Once again, he was not very much surprised when his attempt was met with failure as he felt the natural energy from the blast previously fired by Alduin disrupt his own chakra, to the point that he would have to completely purge it, in order to regain control over that separated chunk of his chakra._

 _A few seconds passed, and he managed to subjugate the foreign senjutsu chakra from both his stump, as well as from the part of chakra which had once made up his arm, before he watched as his previously dispersed chakra started to be drawn from the surroundings, until it was returned back to him, where it once again reformed his missing arm._

 _Deciding that one last test would be necessary, Naruto once more glanced at the manifestation of his will, before he walked toward it._

 _He placed one of his hands on its tarry chest and begun infusing some of his own power within it, before he returned to his previous position._

 _Asking Alduin to hit him once again, however, this time after it added the chakra that he had given it to the mix, the young man prepared to observe the results of his last experiment._

 _A much bigger blast fired by an even more reluctant Alduin quickly obliterated the entirety of his left arm, prompting him to look at his left shoulder with a scrutinizing gaze._

 _As opposed to the previous experiment, this time there were absolutely no wisps of chakra wafting off his stump of a shoulder, and while he felt the much more significant amount of senjutsu chakra being slowly purged, he concluded that it would be taking a much longer time for it to be completely subjugated._

 _The same could have also been said about the chakra of his blasted arm, which had been long dissipated into the surroundings._

 _After assuring Alduin that nothing either permanent or of significant gravity had happened to him, Naruto began his wait until his chakra was done subjugating and integrating the invading energies._

 _Almost a minute later, and the flickering chakra in his stump grew in intensity, while the chakra dispersed around him also began to slowly gravitate back towards him._

 _Deciding to attempt something different, he focused on the superior side of his shoulder, and watched in satisfaction how a new arm grew right above the blown up one._

 _Quickly banishing his extra appendage, the young man began musing on his findings while he waited for his chakra to return back to him._

 _Apparently, it was just as he had previously thought, and that the sole thing capable of actually affecting him was senjutsu chakra._

 _And that only made sense, given how he possessed obscene amounts of natural energy balanced with his own chakra._

 _After all, it was only logical for another source of chakra infused with natural energy to be capable of disrupting the balance of his own energy, and temporarily incapacitate him._

 _Although, the degree to which that would happen solely depended on the amount of it disrupting his chakra, since small quantities would not be capable of affecting him for more than a few seconds, if at all._

 _Bigger quantities, however, could pose quite the problem, given how long it seemed to take him to recover from his last experiment._

 _Though, in the end, it should not be a problem, since he had already removed chakra from everyone, barring his brother's descendant on the moon that he would deal with later, so there was no possible threat to him._

 _Plus, in the worst case scenario, he would most likely be out of commission for a few minutes, but considering the amount of power which would have to be put behind such an attack, a scenario like that definitely remained hypothetical._

 _Naruto was brought out of his musings when he felt his previously scattered chakra return back to him once more, and after asking Alduin for the elapsed time, he decided that it had not been all that long._

 _Two minutes._

 _Hardly a long time for an eternal being._

 _Idly contemplating about how during all of his experiments he had not felt any pain associated with the injuries that he had suffered, the young man was quickly rewarded for his intellectual efforts with a surge of intense pain which persisted for a few moments._

 _By the time when the pain faded, Naruto was already in the process of contemplating whether he should be pleased or annoyed with the implications of what his latest realization had brought him._

 _Opting for the former, he decided to quickly cut his chakra flow from his third eye, as to not also have reality warping accidents added to his list of accidents, and brought his attention back to Alduin, before he patted the left sleeve of the pristine white flowing robe that he had been wearing ever since he had reassumed his humanoid form._

 _The black humanoid-like creature perked up instantly when it saw its father beckon it, and quickly slithered in his direction, before it crawled up his body, until it finally settled inside his robe's rather large and spacious left sleeve._

 _Naruto could not help but let a small chuckle escape his lips as he watched the unfolding scene in amusement._

 _Several moments later, after concluding that he had spent enough time assessing his new abilities and status, the young man proceeded to pick up from where he had previously left his plan, in order to finally accomplish what he had resolved to do ever since he had realized his mistakes._

 _He briefly glanced at his surroundings as he inspected the state of the battlefield._

 _Despite the Shinju no longer being present, the roots that were binding the people still remained._

 _Deciding that it was time to release everyone from their dreams, so that they would finally be able to rejoice at the beginning of a new era, one much more peaceful that any other which might have preceded it, Naruto placed his hands in the rat seal and promptly dispelled the Infinite Tsukuyomi._

 _He watched as the roots of the Shinju began to rapidly wither, and by the time when everyone was released from the wooden tendrils, the gigantic roots were also completely gone as they had already been turned into dust._

 _Seeing that everyone had yet to awake from their slumber, the young man began to call upon his chakra as his face was set into one of concentration._

 _Mankind might have disappointed him throughout the centuries, however, if he truly wanted to achieve a lasting peace, he would have to erase the scars of the past and create a blank slate that he could build upon anew._

 _Thus, he focused his power on the Outer Path aspect of his Rinnegan, and reached with his mind deep into the Pure Realm, before he began calling each and every soul of those who had died as a result of the Fourth Shinobi World War, stirring them awake from their eternal rest._

 _Tens of thousands of silvery flickers quickly came forth into existence in Naruto's vicinity as he continued to focus on calling the spirits of the deceased back from the Pure Realm._

 _The small flickers began to steadily grow, until they started to assume humanoid shapes which were slowly regaining their features._

 _By the time when all of the souls finished returning and settling into the individuals that they had once represented during their previous lives, thousands of eyes that belonged to the respective people were fixated on the snow-white haired young man, who was standing in their midst._

 _Despite not knowing what had just transpired, or the reason for why they had been brought back into the world of the living, each and every one of the summoned souls knew that the young man, at whom they had been gazing in wonder ever since they had regained their sight, was responsible for their return._

 _They all heard his previous call within the Afterlife and had immediately responded to his will as they allowed themselves to be guided by his power back to the mortal plane._

 _Naruto raised his left hand, before a gudōdama appeared below his palm and instantly shaped itself under his will into an ebon shakujō which possessed a crescent moon at one end, while at the other end it had a circle with six smaller rings attached to it._

 _He tapped his staff once on the ground, prompting the six smaller rings to tinkle in response, before he gazed at the thousands of souls surrounding him in a brilliant sea of white._

 _Not wasting any moment, the young man began telling everyone present about what had transpired during the time while they had been dead, before he momentarily paused as he glanced around him._

 _It seemed that at some point during his explanation, the people who had been previously caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi finally awakened from their dream and also gathered around him as they stared in complete wonderment at the masses of pure chakra giving form to the souls of their deceased comrades, friends, lovers or family members._

 _They did not know what had happened and even had trouble believing what their eyes were seeing, however, they were happy to once again be able to see their friends and loved ones alive._

 _Or as alive a soul could ever be._

 _A particular blonde former jinchūriki was standing in front of the spirit of a teenage male with pupil-less eyes while she seemed to be fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes at the sight of him._

 _Alongside her was another girl of similar age, with long dark hair and lavender eyes, who appeared to also be on the verge of crying as a result of seeing the soul manifested in front of her, which from appearance alone seemed to be related to her._

 _The two females were interrupted from their hugging of the one in front of them when they, along with the rest of those present, heard another clinking sound echo throughout the battlefield._

 _Naruto decided to return to his previous explanation and lightly tapped his shakujō against the ground once more, thus drawing the attention of everyone around him as he began to speak about what would be happening from that point onward._

 _After listening to his words, those who had yet to realize that their chakra was gone, finally became aware of it, and despite their initial displeasure, they had to eventually give up and let go of their attachment to chakra, for the young man before them had made it more than clear that chakra was gone for good._

 _As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto brought his hands in the ram seal and focused his chakra, before he moved them in the snake seal as he used the Outer Path — Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique to completely resurrect those whom he had previously brought from the afterlife, using his chakra as a medium in order to create bodies for their souls to be housed within._

 _As everyone seemed to be busy looking in complete awe at what had just transpired under their very eyes, Naruto quickly manifested a clone of himself out of his back, which immediately assumed a kneeling position in front of him._

 _The young man began relaying his orders involving the future of the world to the newly created clone while it listened carefully to its creator's words._

 _He instructed the clone to unite the people of the world under a single banner and lead them toward peace and harmony, just as his mother had initially done a millennium ago._

 _He gave the clone permission to use whatever means necessary to accomplish its task of maintaining peace, as long as the methods used would not result in the subjugation of the people._

 _He did not wish to rob the people of their choice and freedom, however, he knew from past experiences that he could not either allow them to have too many liberties, for otherwise they might once again revert to their foolish ways of the past._

 _After he was done issuing his orders to the clone, he promptly vanished from his spot, leaving his clone in charge of the world as he headed to the village where his transmigrant had been born, in order to do one last thing that he wished to do before his departure._

 _When he arrived at the Naka Shrine, he effortlessly entered the secret chamber beneath it, before stopping in front of the stone tablet, which was being illuminated by the two braziers on each side of the room._

 _He felt slightly nostalgic upon seeing the tablet that he had written a thousand years ago during his life as Hagoromo, however, his nostalgia was soon replaced by irritation when he saw from up close the changes that Black Zetsu had done to it._

 _That slimy annoyance had actually had the audacity to call his own writing gibberish, even though what it had subsequently wrote had been much more idiotic._

 _Still, there was no use to dwell on trivialities anymore._

 _Naruto placed a hand on the stone tablet and watched as it began to crumble, until not even dust had remained._

 _There was truly no longer any meaning to the tablet, now that he had just drastically altered the fate of the world._

 _After spending several more moments basking in the silence of the hidden chamber, Naruto seemed to remember something, before he quickly clapped his hands as he used his chakra to locate a certain mass of equally unique chakra, which had been bound to a soul in a very similar manner to how his own had been after he had died in his previous life._

 _A quite impressive amount of chakra began to gather in front of Naruto, before it quickly coalesced into a familiar form, which he immediately recognized as being his brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, however with the appearance of that of an old man._

 _As soon as Hamura's form was completely stabilized, he walked in front of his sibling and gave him a brotherly hug._

 _That did not seem to take Naruto by surprise, since he was aware of the fact that his brother had most likely observed his actions up to that point, just as he had asked of him, before he had departed with the rest of his clan to the moon._

 _Although, given what he had managed to sense during his previous trip throughout the cosmos, it seemed that his clan had ended up not very much unlike the clans descended from his two sons._

 _Not wishing to dwell on that thought, Naruto quickly dismissed it and focused on returning his brother's hug._

 _A few moments later after they separated themselves, Hamura gazed at him with an expression which denoted sadness, but also understanding._

 _The young man offered his brother a sad smile in response as he told him that he had finally mended his mistakes from many centuries ago, and that dwelling on the past would no longer be needed, for he had managed to bring a new era upon the world._

 _Hamura smiled at his brother's words, before he told him that he agreed with his method and that he had done the best that he could have in order to ensure peace and stability for the world._

 _Giving his brother a thankful smile, Naruto told him that he no longer needed to follow his promise to him and that he would be free to leave the mortal plane in order to get his well deserved eternal rest, if he so wished._

 _Hamura gave his brother one last hug, which told the young man all that he needed to know about his decision, before his form started to flicker as soon as Naruto helped him enter the Pure Realm._

 _However, to Naruto's surprise, it seemed that Hamura had decided to leave him a sort of parting gift, since he had split his chakra and left it behind as soon as his soul had left for its eternal rest._

 _Still surprised by the gesture, the young man simply watched how his brother's chakra converged towards his position, before it was absorbed within him as it was added to his own._

 _He might have not exactly needed any more chakra, however, he could have not disrespected his brother's last wish._

 _Thus, he gladly welcomed it._

 _Only to be once again surprised when a series of memories also came along with it._

 _Naruto slightly frowned after he went through the received memories and let out a weary sigh as he thought about what he had just learned._

 _It appeared that his brother's last living descendant, Ōtsutsuki Toneri, had managed to misinterpret his ancestor's Celestial Decree and began plotting the destruction of mankind as a punishment for their weaponizing of chakra._

 _Naruto let out another sigh as he telepathically relayed all of this information to the clone which he had left in charge of the world._

 _He truly did not feel like personally dealing with that child after everything that he had done during the past few hours._

 _But besides that, there would be no imminent danger for the world, because if Toneri were to visit the Earth again, then he would easily find out himself that his plan was no longer needed, since the people had already been stripped off of their chakra._

 _Another sigh escaped him._

 _He should have suggested to Hamura to also leave behind a stone tablet inscribed with that Celestial Decree of his, just as he had done with his stone tablet, because, by having done that, the number of misunderstandings would have been drastically reduced._

 _Unless, of course, there was a Black Zetsu to meddle with it, however, in his brother's case such a matter would have not been a concern._

 _Naruto spent a few more seconds in the underground chamber as he went over the past events and ticked them off his mental to-do list._

 _He seemed to have accomplished everything that he had wanted to, except for one thing, and, as such, the time for him to fulfill his last wish of visiting another world in order to see how the humans in it compared to the ones in his own world had finally come._

 _He truly hoped that only the humans in this world had been an unfortunate accident of the evolutionary process, and that in other worlds, people were much more different than what he had witnessed so far over the many centuries during which he had carefully observed humanity and its constant foolishness._

 _He might have been disappointed by humanity over the course of the past centuries, however, he still cared about them, reason for why he had decided to give them one more chance at peace and happiness as they would be guided toward it through the clone that he had left behind._

 _But if he were to actually witness a similar scenario involving the humans of another world, then he dreaded that he might truly lose any and all of his hope in them as a species and completely give up on them._

 _If he were to see such foolishness and senseless destruction for another time, then he truly feared that he might end up becoming completely uncaring of humanity and leave them to their devices._

 _Or it could happen even worse._

 _He might come to despise them as a species so much, that he would start seeing them as mere amusement for him to pass his boredom._

 _Naruto suddenly shook his head, his white tresses moving like a silken curtain in response to the slight movements._

 _It would not do to think as such from the beginning._

 _Not when he had not even arrived in another world._

 _He still hoped that his fears would turn out to be unfounded, and that there truly existed humans which were not hopeless as an entire species._

 _And so, with that last thought in mind, Naruto called upon his chakra as he focused on the fabric of space-time woven between his world and those surrounding it._

 _Not even a moment later, the air in front of him split open with a ripping sound, before it instantly engulfed him, leaving not even a speck of dust behind._

 _The only indication that something had entered the secret chamber underground the Naka Shrine, were the two braziers which had been snuffed out along with the young man's sudden departure._

#

 **2005/05/10 10:00 [Unknown Location]**

A young man who looked like he was within his early twenties sat perched atop the highest point of a tall and slim tower-like building, his long snow-white tresses being gently ruffled and swept by the cool spring wind as he silently observed the city beneath him.

Pale eyes swept absentmindedly over the vast scenery of a city buzzing with activity as their owner seemed to be lost within his own thoughts.

For the past few hours he had been contemplating about the events which had led to his arrival into this different and apparently interesting world, and from the look of it, right now his musings had finally reached the present day.

A particularly strong breeze blew past him as it slightly crinkled the collar of the white full-length kimono that he was wearing, exposing more of the pale skin beneath it.

The young man reached with his hands and smoothed his collar back in place, his fingers slightly brushing over one of the six onyx colored magatama that were embroidered on its white fabric.

A moment later, he raised himself from his seated position, his hands already in the process of straightening his garb, which was adorned with intricate lines along its edges and more magatama designs around its wrists' edges and hem, before he sent a curious glance at the rather loose left sleeve of his priestly robe.

He didn't seem to be surprised when twin sickly-yellow eye suddenly opened to meet his gaze, before a large grin that exposed numerous jagged teeth soon followed as the black mass that was resting on the inside of the young man's kimono started to speak, its deep voice slightly echoing through the wind.

"Father... This world seems to be quite interesting, and the humans around here appear to be much more peaceful as well."

The young man hummed in agreement to the words previously spoken by the creature that appeared to be hiding inside his left sleeve.

"Yes, Alduin, this world appears to be quite fascinating from what I have observed until now" he replied to the creature that had referred to him as its father. "I have high hopes for these humans. Although lacking chakra for obvious reasons, they had instead focused themselves on scientific research and development. This civilization is much more advanced than that of our own world in many aspects."

The next couple minutes were spent in silence, before the creature previously introduced as Alduin spoke once again, its tone taking on a curious note.

"So, father... How do you intend to proceed with this?"

The silver haired young man looked thoughtful for a brief moment, before he delivered his response, his calm tone holding a melodious tune to it.

"Hmm... I believe that the most indicated way of approaching this matter would be to first familiarize with the dialect spoken by the people of this place" he paused to point at the city below his feet, which seemed to be completely oblivious to their existence. "Then we can move on to finding a reliable source from which we can learn this world's history in order to see how it compares to our own."

Alduin seemed to waste no time before he replied to its father. "I see..."

The young man gave one last glance in the direction of the busy city streets below, before he spoke.

"Well, then let us proceed."

Following that, just as his words that had been carried by the wind, the young man too vanished in an instant from his position atop the tall tower-like building, leaving no indication of his previous presence, the only exception being perhaps some displaced air.

#

 **2005/05/10 A few hours ago [Unknown Location]**

In the center of a large domed building which was colored with a purple tint, there could be seen a large floating construct resembling a throne of some kind.

Sat upon the aforementioned construct was a towering individual that reached up to a few tens of feet in height, its imposing figure being further complimented by the jagged bone white throne that it occupied.

This entity appeared to be barely humanoid at a first glance and resembled more of a huge creature made of machinery.

It possessed a large skull-like head, from the back of which purple hair spiked out, as well as a crown and a large dark cloak with various ornaments attached to it that covered his towering form.

Several feet away from this imposing figure, another rather peculiar individual could be seen.

The individual in question was actually a dark skinned, purple eyed little girl, with her white hair styled in two ponytails, each of them held by an ornament.

Her attire consisted of a pink vest, white leggings and purple shoes, and she also possessed a black tail with a pointed tip, as well as a small golden trumpet strapped to her left side.

Suddenly, the towering individual who was sat on its jagged throne shifted his attention to a floating screen located on his left after it had just emitted a static noise.

"Hmm...?" the entity sounded intrigued, its deep voice reverberating through the enclosed space of the purple tinted room.

Upon hearing the towering figure's voice, the childlike-looking girl paused from her reading of what looked like a shōjo manga and sent a questioning look in the direction from where the voice had come.

"What happened, Deus?"

The imposing entity now identified as Deus looked at his diminutive servant as he spoke, his voice taking on an intrigued note.

"Just now, there had been a disruption in the space-time continuum above Sakurami City, Murmur."

The young tanned girl previously introduced as Murmur replied as she seemed to resume her reading.

"So... Did you find out whatever it was that had caused this?"

Deus slightly narrowed his eyes in what appeared to be concentration, and after a few moments he responded, his tone becoming even more intrigued by what he seemed to have found.

"How... interesting! I was not able to identify the cause of this phenomenon. Whenever I try to locate it, something seems to be blocking me, and I can't ascertain exactly what it is that is interfering with my searching. Thus, if I were to guess, I would say that it is an unknown, something not bound by this world's laws of causality."

From the look of it, it seemed that Deus' previous statement had managed to draw Murmur's undivided attention.

"An unknown you say?" she asked, sounding slightly skeptical. "You know... This is actually the first time when something like this had happened, and from the data that you had managed to gather, it looks like this entity had literally tore a hole in the world's boundaries with its arrival."

As soon as she was done speaking, Murmur continued to look in Deus' direction as she waited for his reply.

After spending a few minutes appearing to be deep in thought, Deus quickly began to check multiple screens which had appeared out of thin air in front of his throne, his long, bony fingers rapidly typing on a weird device that resembled a keyboard of some kind.

"Hmm... So it is indeed exactly as I suspected..."

Murmur was staring at Deus in mild confusion as she watched him begin muttering something to himself.

"Eh? What did you find?" the diminutive girl asked curiously.

Deus glanced at Murmur and spoke with a chuckle.

"More likely what I did not find" he paused as he looked once more at the screens floating in front of him. "Regardless of the method I am using, something continues to interfere with my search, which means that it is completely impossible to track this unknown. I am afraid that we will not be able to reach any satisfying conclusion until we actually come into contact with whomever or whatever had been the cause of this."

Following his words another period of silence seemed to settle in as both of the room's occupants returned to their previous activities.

The was no point in continuing to fret about this unknown entity if they couldn't even locate it.

Besides, if Deus were to consider the magnitude of the time-space continuum displacement that had occurred at the time of this anomaly's arrival, then he was certain that they would be meeting it very soon as it would definitely come to greet them in the very near future.

#

 **Several hours earlier [Unknown Location — Naruto's universe]**

Dispassionately piercing with its awe-inspiring splendor through the macabre sight of an apocalyptic battlefield, a majestic tree of colossal height stood tall amidst tens of thousands of corpses and mangled remains that were painting the soil beneath them with their freshly spilt lifeblood.

In the not too far distance, atop a small cliff, the figure of a young man, with pale skin and a transparent veil over his head, stood calmly, seemingly unperturbed by the people which had been mercilessly massacred below his feet, as he gazed at the bloodstained scenery with slight boredom reflected in his pale and pupil-less eyes.

However, upon a closer look, it could be seen that his lips were forming a tiny smile as he was admiring the destruction and bloodshed in the distance.

He might have been rather displeased with how those lowly beings below his feet had performed, however, he had at least been content with their screams and pleas for mercy as they had been felled under his gaze.

At first, he had thought that they might be interesting enough to entertain him for a while, before he actually got tired of them and finally used their disposable existences to cultivate more of the magnificent power that he loved to taste and delight himself with, but unfortunately, and to his great disappointment, as soon as he had arrived on their planet, he had been met with pathetic resistance.

Therefore, he had simply told his loyal companion to proceed slaughtering the lot of them, so that they might at least provide him some semblance of entertainment while they were used to cultivate his power.

And fortunately, in the end, they had proved to be less of a letdown, as the entertainment provided by their gruesome deaths had been enough to keep him from getting bored.

Putting an end to his musings for the time being, the young man with pale-blue hair and a pair of flat, curved horns atop his head had decided to once again check how much power he had managed to accumulate so far.

Focusing on the gigantic tree in the distance, he had proceeded to sense for the amount of power that was currently housed within it, and not even a moment later, his lips formed into a pleased smile.

In less than a month, he would be able to harvest so much delicious power from this planet, that only the simple thought of him consuming it was enough to send a pleasant shiver down his spine.

Just as he was about to return back to his musings, something truly unexpected had completely seized his attention.

A wave of power so enormous and potent that it had entirely overwhelmed his senses had suddenly washed over him, leaving him in a daze as he could do nothing but simply marvel at the indescribable feeling of delight that it had stirred within his being.

For a full minute, he had stood unmoving atop his cliff, with his pale eyes widened and with a manic glint to them while his hands had tightly gripped the fabric of his white robe and baggy pants as short pants escaped his mouth.

After a couple more minutes, he had managed to recompose himself to the degree that only his delicate features were still being set into an expression of utmost delight, as the incredible memory of that surge of power was still very fresh in his mind.

Quickly letting go of his slightly ruffled robe and pants, the pale-blue haired young man had finally composed himself as he had straightened his garments, before his thoughts had once more trailed to the ecstatic feeling that he had experienced only a few minutes earlier.

Unfortunately, his musings had been cut very short when, not even a moment later, a deep and very familiar voice had caught his attention.

"Are you alright, Lord Momoshiki?"

The young man gazed at the hulking giant with short spiky blue-grayish hair in front of him, and despite the slight annoyance that he had felt at being interrupted from his reminiscence of that delightful feeling, his visage held a pleasant smile, as he simply felt too euphoric to let himself be displeased by anything.

"Yes, Kinshiki..." Momoshiki replied softly. "In fact, I have never felt as wonderful as I am feeling right now."

The towering individual now introduced as Kinshiki gave a small, respectful nod to the young man in front of him, before he dropped the body that he had been holding in one of his big hands, as it fell off the cliff and joined the many others below.

After a few moments of silence, the burly giant spoke once again.

"Lord Momoshiki, what should we do in regard to that massive surge of power from before?"

Hearing his companion's question, the horned individual allowed a soft chuckle to escape his lips.

"For now, nothing" he replied as he retrieved several red colored pills from his robe and began playing with them in his right hand. "There are not enough cinnabar panacea pills left for us to travel that far through the time-space, so we will have to wait until we can harvest the power from this place."

Hearing his superior's orders, Kinshiki once more nodded respectfully, before he asked one last question out of simple curiosity.

"Lord Momoshiki, how do you think that Kaguya had created such a powerful cinnabar panacea?"

At this, Momoshiki gained a thoughtful look.

From what he knew about Kaguya and her seedbed, she had arrived there a very long time ago, somewhere between a millennium or two, and during all of that time she had not managed to grow even one cinnabar panacea, while he had obtained countless ones during the past thousand years.

And yet, through some means that were still unknown to him, when she had finally grown the cinnabar panacea, she had somehow produced one of unbelievable power.

For her cinnabar panacea to be so potent that its power had been felt from the other side of the galaxy...

...He could not understand how had she been able to obtain such a marvelous fruit.

"I am not exactly sure..." he replied after a few moments of contemplation. "But after I take that delightful power from her, I will be more than glad to also _inquire_ for the answer to your question, Kinshiki." His lips slowly formed into an unnerving smile. "One way, or another."

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN:**

 **(1) — I am not exactly a Skyrim fan. I haven't actually played the game, however, after reading some fiction and browsing the wiki, some of the content appealed to me. So, seeing as it would be strangely fitting and amusing, I've decided to name Naruto's/Hagoromo's manifested will as Alduin. Besides, I'm sure that any of you Skyrim fans reading this might find the association amusing further down the line, when you will see more of Alduin.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

 **AN:**

 **First things first, I would like to thank all of you for the continued support that you have shown for this story.**

 **Now, before we get to the actual chapter, I would like to put some warnings once again.**

 **This chapter will gradually become rather dark, so if you are not okay with darker themes, then I suggest that you stop reading now.**

 **Also, some of the more sensitive topics depicted within this chapter are purely fictional in nature and intended as a means of entertainment.**

 **And that is all for the time being.**

##

 **Chapter 1: Dawning Despair**

 _ **[Sakurami Middle School]**_

 _Seated at a desk in the top right side of the classroom was the slender frame of a young girl, who despite being only in her early teens, had a figure that was already quite developed, hinting toward the beautiful young woman that she would become after only a few more years._

 _She possessed light pink colored eyes and matching long hair styled in pigtails, two hanging as frontal locks and featuring a pair of red bows, whereas the back pigtails were left bare._

 _Her attire consisted of a blue shirt with a red ribbon on its front, accompanied by a blue skirt, as well as white high socks._

 _The girl's cerise eyes suddenly darted to the top corner of the paper that lay atop her desk as she rechecked, just to make sure, if she had written her name on it._

 _Gasai Yuno_

 _Moments later, the girl turned the sheet of paper face down on her desk, before she briefly glanced around the classroom._

 _The rest of her classmates were still busy finishing the sudden math test._

 _Their teacher had told them that its purpose was to measure the level of knowledge that they had supposedly acquired during elementary school, however, she had already finished it ten minutes earlier._

 _And now all that she could do was wait._

 _As she sat at her desk, Yuno's gaze began wandering around the room once more as she took in the details of her surroundings._

 _A girl next to her was going over her paper intently, most likely rechecking her answers._

 _A boy behind the aforementioned girl had a look of concentration on his face as he was drawing something on his desk._

 _Another student looked like he had trouble staying awake and kept his head propped on his hands._

 _Eventually, her eyes returned on the piece of paper that lay turned face down on her desk, before she subsequently closed them as she wondered how long it was until the class would be over._

 _Her eyes snapped open and her musings were interrupted when she heard the girl seated behind her start whispering something to the one next to her._

 _As she listened in to their brief conversation, Yuno's interest seemed to have been slightly piqued._

 _The two girls were apparently talking about how handsome a boy from the neighboring class was._

 _Yuno continued to listen to the girls whisperings, however, she suddenly shook her head as she seemed to have remembered something rather unpleasant._

' _No, I don't have time to think about boys...' Yuno reminded herself. 'Mama would kill me.'_

 _Every rule that defined her life, from the papers that reflected her grades to the meticulously created schedules that represented the time she was allowed to spend outside, or the amount of food that she was allowed to eat, were slowly driving her to the brink of her sanity._

 _Whenever she thought about all of this, she felt like she was suffocating. The pressure was simply unbearable._

 _Her parents had such high expectations of her, but they were unforgiving when she failed to meet them._

' _No! Don't think about it... don't think about it... don't think about it...' Yuno chanted inwardly like a mantra, trying to calm herself down and distract her mind from that particular train of thought._

 _She had to quickly occupy her mind with something else, because otherwise, if she spent too much time thinking about it, she feared that the last few threads which were holding her sanity together might snap._

 _##_

 _ **[Gasai Residence]**_

 _A soft click signified her arrival._

 _Yuno carefully closed the front door and slipped on a different pair of shoes._

' _Damnit! I'm late... let's hope that she doesn't notice me...' she thought while tiptoeing through the main corridor leading to her bedroom._

 _However, just before she could open the door, a stern voice caused the rose haired girl to freeze in her tracks._

" _You're late."_

 _Yuno turned around and saw her mother glaring at her, a frown marring her features._

" _Yes... forgive me, Mama" the young girl apologized as she gave her mother a pleading look._

 _Instead of the desired effect, however, the rose haired girl's expression seemed to only further anger the brown haired woman._

" _Don't give me that look, Yuno!" her mother said coldly, causing Yuno to flinch and quickly lower her head as she gazed at the wooden floor._

" _Yes, Ma'am!"_

 _As she continued to keep her head bowed, the rose haired girl could feel her mother's eyes carefully scrutinizing her._

" _Where have you been?"_

 _Yuno slowly raised her head and faced her mother, noticing the angry expression that was present on her face._

" _The teacher asked me to help deliver some papers to the library."_

 _The older woman's eyes narrowed dangerously._

" _Why didn't you call beforehand?"_

 _Yuno wasted no time before she replied._

" _I didn't want to disturb you."_

" _Lies!" her mother snapped angrily before she grabbed a fistful of her daughter's hair as she dragged her toward the main corridor of the house._

 _She stopped in front of a pair of sliding doors which she subsequently opened, before she forcefully shoved Yuno inside a medium sized room that was barely illuminated by the light coming from the main corridor._

" _Go!" the brown haired woman ordered as she pointed at the small cage located in the middle of the dark room. "You will keep spending time in there until you learn how to behave properly."_

 _Yuno sobbed silently as she walked obediently to her prison._

 _She didn't dare disobey her mother's words. She truly feared what might happen to her if she were to ever do that._

 _As soon as Yuno entered the cage, her mother locked its door, before quickly leaving the room._

 _By the time the door closed, Yuno was already lying against the steel bars, her eyes closed as she waited for the nightmare to eventually come to an end._

 _##_

 _Darkness was enveloping her small frame from every possible angle. The coldness of the metal floor was seeping deep into her bones, weakening her frail body even further._

 _Yuno was certain that if something didn't change soon, she wouldn't last for much longer._

 _With each passing day, her will to live was slowly diminishing. She didn't know how much more she could endure._

 _She wasn't sure anymore if it was even worth trying, because, in the end, the only thing life seemed to bring her was suffering._

 _She was being locked in the cage by her mother more often than ever._

 _She was let out to go to school each day, however, these last few weeks, she would be shut in there even during the weekend._

 _If her father happened to come home and see her locked in the cage, he would yell at her mother to let her out, thus granting her a brief reprieve._

 _However, work seemed to be keeping him so busy lately that he rarely came home anymore._

 _Yuno didn't know what she had done wrong to deserve such a punishment. She didn't know why her mother kept treating her like this..._

 _Or why her father didn't even bother to come come anymore and save her from her mother's cruel punishments._

 _She didn't understand why she was being treated like this._

 _Did her parents not understand how she felt?_

 _Or did they hate her?_

 _Eventually, Yuno's thoughts faded into her subconscious as sleep once more took a hold of her tired body._

 _##_

 _The days passed by the rose haired girl like a blur as she was forced to stay within the confines of her cage for longer than she could even remember._

 _Yuno wasn't sure for how long she had been locked this time. The room had no windows, so she couldn't keep track of time._

 _At some point, her mother had come in to bring her a bottle of water, but no food whatsoever._

 _Without anything to eat, she had tried to eat the tatami mats as she sometimes did when she was desperate, however, that only made her stomach ache even more._

 _Out of a sudden, Yuno heard a soft voice whisper to her._

' _Everything would be so much easier if that woman was gone from your life...'_

 _It seemed to be coming from somewhere within the cage._

 _The rose haired girl was lying on her back, her mind valiantly fighting to maintain consciousness as she stared blankly at the cage's ceiling._

 _Through her bleary eyes, Yuno could only discern the faint outline of what appeared to be some sort of shadowy figure which seemed to be floating above her._

 _This was most likely a hallucination caused by the severe starvation that the young girl suffered from, however, to her it just looked so real. Her stressed mind could no longer distinguish between what was reality and what wasn't._

 _Yuno weakly shook her head as she tried to rebuke the very tempting offer._

" _No... Mama is just... sick..." the rose haired girl whispered, her voice too weak to even escape the confines of the cage. "She's a good person... she just... needs help... Papa would be so sad if something happened to Mama."_

' _Like he cares about any of you...' Yuno heard the same voice whisper again._

" _No... I'm sure Papa's just busy... just busy..." she said to herself as she closed her eyes in an attempt to ignore the haunting whispers._

" _Come on, Yuno... you can handle it" the young girl suddenly spoke as she brought her knees close to her chest. "You've managed to survive through this many times before... I'm sure Mama would let you out anytime now..."_

 _Yuno tried to imagine herself being somewhere else, hoping that it would be enough to distract her mind from the hunger pains and the strange voices that seemed to be tormenting her._

 _A few moments later, and, as if life had finally decided to offer her some reprieve, she drifted off to blissful unconsciousness._

 _##_

 _Yuno was looking with a smile at the bottle of sleeping pills that she had just pilfered from her mother's nightstand._

" _Don't worry, Mama, Papa... with this... we will soon be a family again!"_

 _She seemed to be in a better mood than usual, of her tone and the smile present on her face were of any indication._

 _Ever since she had devised a plan to fix her broken family, Yuno had been in very high spirits, happy that her family would finally be together again._

 _After she had been so close to dying the last time when she was locked in the cage, she became terrified of the thought that she might have to return in there._

 _She didn't think that she could handle going back to that place another time, so she had bet everything on her newly hatched plan._

 _It would definitely work. It had to work._

" _Papa should be coming home tonight, so I'll have to do it then..."_

 _No one would help her, so she was left out of options. She had to take the matter in her own hands. She had no other choice. She had to save her family herself._

 _Yuno was sure that if her parents were shown how terrible their treatment towards her was, how it felt to be locked away and abandoned, then they would finally understand how she felt._

 _Her mother would see how much she had made her daughter suffer and then she would apologize and stop punishing her like that. And her father would realize how much he was neglecting his family and would come home more often._

 _It was a perfect plan, and Yuno couldn't wait to have her fresh start with her parents._

 _##_

 _A sharp voice suddenly cut through the silent atmosphere of the dim lit room._

" _Yuno!"_

 _Said voice belonged to a middle aged woman, who had just woken up to find herself in the very cage that she forced her daughter to spend most of her time in._

" _What is the meaning of this!?" her mother snarled, glaring through the steel bars of the cage at the rose haired girl._

" _Ah! You're finally awake!" Yuno replied with a beaming smile as she looked at her mother._

 _The girl quickly raised herself from the wooden floor where she had been waiting for her parents to wake up and approached the front of the cage. She noticed that her father had also woken up, though he was looking a little dazed._

 _She wasted no more time and spoke once again._

" _Mama, Papa... I'm sorry that it had come to this..."_

 _Yuno gazed at the floor, feeling rather bashful out of a sudden. She had planned out a little speech for herself while her parents were still sleeping, but their intense and piercing gazes were now intimidating her a little._

 _She slowly mustered her resolve and continued speaking._

" _...But the way you treat me... I can't take it anymore. It's like you don't even understand how I feel... Mama, you keep me locked in the cage for days with barely any food, and sometimes even without water. I was so close to dying the last time! And Papa, at first you told Mama to stop treating me like that, but lately you don't even come home anymore. You are always so busy at work that Mama had become depressed without you, and she takes everything out by punishing me."_

 _She paused for a moment to take in a deep breath before she continued. "This has to stop. No more charts and strict schedules and no more cage. I want to have decent meals like every other person. I... I just want to be normal..."_

 _When Yuno was done with her speech, she looked up from the floor and waited for their reply._

 _However, the only answer she got was them furiously shaking the bars._

" _Yuno, let us out this instant! You have no right to do this!" her father yelled in anger._

" _What are you doing?!" her mother shouted, her features twisted in rage. "Do you even realize what you are doing?!"_

 _Yuno was quite confused by their reactions. Weren't they listening to what she had just told them?_

 _She continued to stare at them._

" _Let us out immediately!" both of them yelled._

 _Yuno shook her head. "When you realize what torture you have subjected me to and apologize... then I'll let you out."_

 _She was certain that they would apologize any moment now._

" _You devil child!" her mother eventually screamed, her voice filled with venom._

 _When she saw that the girl wasn't going to let them out, fury clouded her mind and she became even more violent._

 _Yuno's whole body tensed in shock at her mother's scornful reply._

" _You horrible, ungrateful monster!"_

 _Another hatred filled remark followed, this one being even more spiteful than the previous one._

" _Eh?"_

 _Yuno tilted her head in puzzlement. She didn't understand why they were acting like that. This wasn't what she had been expecting._

 _This was totally different from what she had imagined that would happen._

 _She was convinced that once both of them experienced what they put her through, even if just for a few minutes, then they would finally understand how she felt._

 _However, it seemed that such a thing would not be happening, even more so in her mother's case._

" _You little bitch! I curse the day you were born!"_

 _Yuno's eyes widened at the extremely cruel remark and tears were starting to pool at the corners of her eyes._

 _She quickly turned around and fled from the room, shutting the door behind her._

 _The sound of muffled sobs could be heard fading in the distance as she ran across the main corridor of the house._

 _Yuno couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. She didn't understand why her parents had reacted that way._

 _Maybe they were just mad right now? Yes, that had to be the reason. Once they calmed down it would probably be alright, so she would check on them tomorrow._

 _##_

 _However, that tomorrow had never come._

 _Yuno was too terrified to check up on them._

 _Most of the time she could hear them arguing fiercely, something that made her feel very nervous, but at times they were silent._

 _It was in one of those moments, when it was really quiet in the room, that she had tried to open the door, only to be immediately assaulted with a series of curses._

 _After that incident, it took her a while to muster again the courage to go check up on her parents._

 _Eventually, she had managed to slide them a tray of food through a partially opened door while they were both sleeping. However, that had been several days ago and soon they would need more food._

 _The young girl was currently at a loss. She didn't know what to do._

 _Even though she wanted to let them out, she couldn't do it._

 _Her mom punished her with hours upon hours of confinement only for trivial things like talking back or missing curfew. She dreaded to think what she would do to her for something like this._

 _Yuno shuddered at that thought._

 _And now, with her father also mad at her, there was truly no one left to defend her. This time, she was all alone._

 _Because of her plan being solely based on the fact that hey would apologize to her, Yuno hadn't planned ahead for something like the current scenario._

 _She tried once more to slide open the twin doors leading to the room where her caged parents were, however, a vicious snarl of "Yuno!" from the other side instantly crumbled down her resolve._

 _##_

 _ **2005/04/17 [Gasai Residence]**_

 _It had been several days until she had decided to try and check on her parents again._

 _Everything had been silent for a while now, maybe even too silent. For a whole day, no sound could have been heard coming from that room._

 _Yuno tried to remember how long it had been since the day when she had slipped them that tray of food._

 _Burrowed in her worries as she had been, she had quickly lost track of time._

 _The rose haired girl steeled her resolve and went to prepare another tray of food._

 _Yuno carefully slid open the doors to the room, thinking that maybe weakened as they were now, she could probably reason with her parents without them screaming profanities at her._

 _She saw them lying on the cold floor of the cage, unmoving._

' _They are sleeping' she thought, a small smile forming on her features. 'They look so peaceful now.'_

 _Yuno crouched down in front of the cage and put the food tray on the floor._

" _Mama, Papa, wake up..." she whispered, trying to wake them up without scaring them. "I brought something for you to eat."_

 _However, a few seconds passed and they still lay there, unmoving._

 _Thinking that they must be very tired and sleeping too deeply to hear her, Yuno reached out with her hand and gently shook her father's arm._

 _However, as soon as her fingers made contact with the skin on her father's arm, she quickly retracted her hand._

 _Her father's arm was cold to the touch and also felt rather weird._

 _Yuno checked her mother's arm, and it was the same._

 _Actually, now that she was closer to the cage, she could notice that her mother's eyes were wide open._

 _A wave of panic surged through her body._

" _Mama, Papa, wake up!" she shouted. "You two need to eat something! Wake up!"_

 _Yuno then shook the cage, but they still lay there, unmoving._

" _They must be truly exhausted if they still didn't wake up by now..." she tried to convince herself and gave a humorless chuckle. "I'll leave the food here and let them rest..."_

 _However, before she stood up to leave, she noticed something rather strange and unsettling about the way her parents were lying there._

 _It looked like they weren't even breathing._

" _T-They—They aren't sleeping..." Yuno looked at her parents in shock. "They aren't sleeping..." she repeated the same words to herself when she had finally realized what this meant._

 _It seemed that this revelation was too much for her._

 _Yuno leaned against the wall for support, suddenly feeling very dizzy and nauseous._

" _They're dead..." she whispered as she continued to look in horror at the dead bodies of her parents that lay confined in the small cage._

 _##_

 _Roughly a month had passed by the time Yuno had eventually managed to come up to terms with everything that had happened._

 _The fact that her parents were dead, that she had killed them, finally sank in._

 _Soon she realized that she had to make up lies about their whereabouts, because otherwise people might become suspicious and start coming to her house to investigate._

 _She had called the bank they owned and told them that they had gone on a trip without telling her for how long they would be gone._

 _However, Yuno knew that it was only a matter of time before they realized that the two owners had gone missing._

 _Also, the electricity had been cut off today. The water was still running, but she had received a disconnection notice in the mailbox three days ago._

 _Yuno didn't have access to her parents' bank accounts, so she couldn't afford to pay any of the bills. She was lucky that they still kept some money at their house, because otherwise she wouldn't have had money even for food._

 _The rose haired girl was currently sitting in the corner of the room with her parents' bodies, like she had been doing every day for the past month after school was over._

 _The prevalent smell of death and decay was horrible, but she couldn't be bothered with it anymore. She was simply beyond caring at this point._

 _She stared blankly at the two corpses._

" _Mama, Papa, I'm so scared..." Yuno knew that they would never answer, but she still found talking to their half rotten bodies being somewhat comforting. "What should I do now?"_

 _It was only a matter of time before someone would show up to investigate her parents' mysterious disappearance._

 _But what would happen then?_

 _They would discover the bodies and know what she did. And then she would be locked again, in another cage, this time probably for the rest of her life._

 _But she couldn't go back into another cage, not after just being freed from one. She simply couldn't._

 _Her wishful dream of being a normal girl seemed to have also been shattered. Even with her parents now gone, it was still impossible for her to be normal._

 _Yuno brought her knees close to her chest and wrapped her slender arms around her legs. She rested her head on her knees and thought about what she was supposed to do._

 _She couldn't run away, since there was nowhere that she could go._

 _She wondered if it wouldn't be better if she just died... Then she would finally be free, wouldn't she?_

 _Though, she quickly remembered how frightening it had been when she had almost died by starvation._

 _She didn't want to go through something similar again, which meant that killing herself was not an option. The thought of dying terrified her too much, even when the alternate was much worse._

 _So, in the end, Yuno was stuck. Without anything that she could do, her situation was truly hopeless. She was trapped with absolutely no way out._

 _Even though she had still kept up the appearances by acting normal, her daily routine had become meaningless now._

 _She had nothing left to live for. She no longer had a future. The only thing that she had been left with now, was despair._

##

 **2005/05/10 10:10 [Unknown Location]**

Inside the empty recesses of a dim lit alley, a shadowy figure seemed to appear out of thin air.

Upon a closer inspection, it could be seen that said individual was a young man with long silvery hair and ethereal features, as well as pale eyes which were currently inspecting the surroundings.

' _Now to find a human...'_

And with that thought in mind, the young man began walking toward the far end of the alley, where various sounds could be heard coming from.

##

By the time the young man reached the end of the dark alley, the sight of a busy street was revealed to his eyes.

He promptly stopped, his form still concealed by the darkness which persisted even at the edge of the alleyway, and carefully observed the humans walking their merry ways on the crowded street.

' _Hmm... So many choices...'_

A low hiss coming from his left sleeve suddenly gained the white haired young man's attention.

"Father, you could use that one who is coming from our left."

The young man swerved his head and took in the image of a dark haired, middle-aged man who was walking on the street in his direction.

The man was clothed in a suit of sorts, which consisted of a collared white shirt, a black coat and matching trousers, as well as a dark blue accessory around his neck which looked like a fancily crafted noose of some kind.

' _What a peculiar attire...'_ the young man mused as he continued to observe the man.

He waited for several moments, until the middle-aged man reached the entrance to the alleyway, moment when the silver haired young man's arms blurred from sight as they quickly snatched the man and brought him within the dark recesses of the alley.

The man looked shocked at the sudden and unexpected event, however, all of his previous shock seemed to instantly vanish the moment when his eyes found the figure of the one responsible for dragging him into the alleyway.

"Ugh! Not another one of those cosplayers..." the man muttered to himself, prompting the one whom he had dubbed as a 'cosplayer' to raise a nonexistent eyebrow in questioning at him.

"Greetings, human" the 'cosplayer' spoke in an even and dignified tone as he addressed the middle-aged man in front of him. "Do not panic, for I am not going to harm you. I merely wish to inquire for some knowledge regarding your world, more precisely the dialect spoken by your kin."

The dark haired male let out a tired sigh as soon as the young man's words registered in his mind.

"Look, Mr. cosplayer... I don't have time for this, so please stop bothering me before I call the police."

And with that, the man turned away from the 'cosplayer' and began walking toward the end of the alleyway as he muttered something about how weird the kids were these days in comparison to those of his time.

However, the man didn't manage to walk more than a few steps, because he suddenly felt his body seize up and stop in its tracks as soon as a light weight was placed on his head.

He tried to talk—to scream for somebody to help him—but no words were able to escape his mouth.

He couldn't even move his eyes, so the possibility of trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was keeping him from moving was nonexistent.

All that he could do was to frantically think about what was happening to him and why no part of his body was responding to his commands.

The dark haired male seemed to be brought out of his frenzied mental state when he heard several words being spoken from behind him.

"I am sorry that it had to get to this, human, but I truly need this knowledge in order to proceed in this world."

The middle-aged man immediately recognized the voice as being that of the young man whom he had _thought_ to be a cosplayer.

The keyword being _thought_ , because apparently he was the real deal.

He didn't know who—no—what that young man was, but his instincts were telling him that he should just submit and comply to whatever his wishes were.

And given the fact that he was currently immobilized, without even knowing what was keeping him in place, as well as being unable to speak, he was left with no other option than going along with whatever this white haired individual wanted from him.

His musings were quickly brought to a sudden end as soon as a pitch black gooey mass slowly began creeping down his head, until it stopped hovering in front of his face.

Had it not been for the fact that he couldn't utter a single syllable, the dark haired male was certain that he would have screamed like a little girl the moment when that black substance suddenly revealed two sickly yellow eyes and numerous jagged teeth that formed into a huge grin.

And he would have most likely screamed once again upon hearing it speak.

"Don't be afraid. Father isn't like that upstart brat, Nagato, who wasn't able to utilize even a fraction of the powers of his eyes" the creature suddenly spoke in a deep voice. "Father has absolute mastery over his Rinnegan, on top of possessing its kekkei mōra variant, so he can safely touch your soul without having to pull it out after he's done reading it."

Despite them being intended as a reassurance of some kind, the pitch black entity's words had served to only further scare and confuse the dark haired man.

Nagato? Eye powers? Saṃsāra Eyes? Bloodline encompassing? Touching his soul?!

After hearing that creature's words, the middle-aged man wondered whether he wasn't actually hallucinating all of this.

He vaguely remembered being offered a drink by a coworker before leaving the office.

And if his memory served him right, then that guy was the one whose parking lot he had taken this morning.

Maybe the guy had been so pissed at him that he had spiked his drink in an attempt to get back at him.

His musings were interrupted when he suddenly began to feel something odd.

He didn't know how to explain it, but he felt as if he was completely naked and that someone was looking straight through him and directly into the deepest parts of his being.

That weird feeling seemed to last for roughly a second, before he started to feel drowsy, until he eventually fell on the ground asleep, the last thought on his mind being whether all of this was a dream or not.

A few moments after the middle-aged man fell on the ground with a muffled thud, the silver haired young man spoke to the pitch black mass, which was now slowly returning back inside the left sleeve of his white robe.

"Uh, that's a bit much, don'cha think? Seriously, kid, ya scared that poor guy shitless when ya creeped down his face without any warning. Well, maybe that ain't too far off, but ya oughta be more careful. Know what I'm sayin', boy? Next time take a bit more care when ya act, 'kay? Ya feel me, Alduin?"

The tarry creature seemed to have stopped moving at some point during its creator's speech and was currently looking at him with something akin to a confused expression as it seemed to be struggling with making sense of the words that it had just heard.

"Father...?" Alduin carefully asked, unsure of what its creator was attempting to do.

He had suddenly begun speaking in that weird manner while keeping his facial expression unchanged, and the complete disparity between his tone and the impassive expression currently adorning his features were making him appear really odd and dare it say even creepy to some extent.

The young man seemed to quickly realize that the sudden change in his pattern of speech must have left Alduin befuddled, so he addressed it once more, however, this time returning to his previous way of speaking.

"Oh, I apologize if I had confused you, Alduin" the young man spoke in apology to the creature resting inside his left sleeve. "I had tried to adapt my manner of speech to that of the young people that I had seen in some of that man's memories" he paused to point at the still sleeping middle-aged man lying next to his feet. "But it seems that I still require some further practice in order to properly grasp these people's dialect."

He would indeed have to spend a little more time to completely adapt his vocabulary to that of this world's inhabitants, because his first attempt at compensating for his enlightened knowledge and understanding of the material in order to speak plainly hadn't been too much of a success.

He might also have to keep some of his usual sophistication, since the way he had previously spoken had made him appear as more of a dim witted fool than anything else.

But regardless of that, now that he possessed more knowledge on this world, he could move onto the next phase of his plan.

His attention was shifted to Alduin when he heard it reply to his previous words.

"Don't worry, father" the creature spoke with a slight rasp in its voice. "It's alright."

The silver haired young man nodded in response. "Very well" he spoke, before turning around as he prepared to exit the alleyway.

However, before he could have moved from his spot, he was interrupted by Alduin who spoke once more.

"Father, what about that man? Are we letting him go after he had seen you?"

The young man hummed in thought for several moments, before speaking.

"I do not believe that there will be any problem. I have made sure to erase his memories of us, so he should believe that he had drank too much and ended up passing out in this alleyway."

"I see, father."

Following Alduin's short reply, the young man began to slowly walk toward the exit of the dim lit alley, however, after taking a few steps he promptly stopped as he seemed to realize something.

He gave his attire a scrutinizing look, before he remembered the first words that that middle-aged man had spoken upon seeing him.

' _Ah... So that was what he had meant when he had called me a cosplayer...'_ the young man thought as he continued to inspect his clothing.

A few moments later, the full-length white kimono covering his form seemed to shift and morph, until it changed into something completely different from what it had been only a few seconds ago.

Instead of his flowing white robe, the young man was now wearing a long, black colored coat atop a white dress shirt, black colored pants and matching shoes.

He gave his new attire an inspecting look, before nodding in appreciation with a pleased smile.

Though, just as he was about to resume his walking and exit the dark alleyway, he was yet again interrupted when he felt something shift under his shirt.

He looked at his left hand just in time to see a black substance ooze out of his coat's sleeve, before it engulfed his hand as it took the shape of a pitch black glove.

"Is this to your liking, father?"

The young man heard Alduin speak after it finished assuming a glove-like shape over his left hand.

"Yes, Alduin" he replied while glancing his new glove appreciatively. "It is."

A deep sound akin to a purr came in reply from the young man's glove, prompting him to let out a chuckle at Alduin's antics.

"Anyway, now that we possess more knowledge on this world we can proceed further" the silver haired young man spoke while sharing with Alduin the knowledge that he had absorbed from that dark haired man's soul. "Which means that our next destination should be the closest public library."

Following those words, the young man resumed his walking toward the street at the end of the alleyway, his frame quickly disappearing within the darkness permeating the surroundings.

The sole indication that something must have definitely occurred in the dim lit alley was the sleeping man that remained lying on the cold asphalt.

##

The soft tinkle of a wind chime dangling above the now opened door alerted the middle-aged woman to the new presence that had just stepped inside her library.

She slowly tilted her head to gaze in the direction of the door and was momentarily surprised by the sight that welcomed her hazel eyes.

Standing in front of the now closed door was a young man with long tresses of snow-white hair that perfectly contrasted with his ethereal visage and pale eyes.

For a brief moment, the brown haired woman seemed to forget that she was slowly but steadily approaching her thirty sixth year and felt as if she were in her teens once again.

However, her reverie was abruptly interrupted the moment when she realized that she had been doing nothing but staring at her newest visitor ever since he had entered her establishment.

She immediately faked a cough to hide her embarrassment, an action which gained her a quizzical expression from the young man, whose attention was shifted to her as he arched one of his nonexistent eyebrows in curiosity.

The woman quickly pushed all of the thoughts involving the handsome silver haired young man currently looking at her away from her mind.

She was a married woman after all, and such thoughts directed at another man were unbecoming of her status.

She spent a few more seconds regathering her composure, before she finally addressed the young man who had yet to move from the entrance of her library.

"Good afternoon, sir" the woman greeted politely as she watched the young man take measured steps in the direction of her desk.

##

Pale and mildly inquisitive eyes slowly swept their surroundings as the young man glanced around the rather spacious library that he had just entered.

He absentmindedly noted the many rows of shelves filled to the brim with hundreds upon hundreds of books, before his gaze finally rested upon the figure of a brown haired middle-aged woman who was standing behind a wooden desk a few feet away from him.

He had noticed her intent staring ever since he had crossed the doorframe of the establishment, though he had paid it no mind, since he was preoccupied with much more important matters than analyzing the behavior of every human around himself.

He was still going over some of the knowledge that he had previously absorbed from that middle-aged man, as he had to make sure that he had a perfect grasp on these people's dialect.

It wouldn't do to repeat his previous mistake and make a fool out of himself as he had done when he had addressed Alduin using this dialect for the first time.

A few more seconds passed in silence, before the young man's attention was once again brought on the middle-aged woman when he heard her let out a brief cough.

He sent her a questioning look upon noticing her slightly embarrassed expression, however, he quickly dropped the matter and returned to his previous thoughts.

A couple minutes passed as he went once more over the learnt material in order to make sure that he was able to speak the language fluently.

And just as he seemed to be done with his musings, the brown haired woman had finally addressed him, prompting him to look at her once again as he registered her polite greeting.

He wasted no time and replied with his own greeting as he slowly walked in the direction of her desk, all the while smiling inwardly at how flawlessly he had utilized these people's language.

"Good afternoon, madam."

The young man looked rather pleased with his linguistic success, and after giving himself a the mental equivalent of a pat on the back for his accomplishment, he addressed the female librarian once more.

"Could you please point me to the section which contains history related books?"

The brown haired woman wasted no time and quickly raised herself from her chair, before walking toward the other side of the library.

The young man followed after her while continuing to glance around the rather spacious interior of the library.

After a couple minutes of walking amidst the many rows of bookshelves, the woman suddenly stopped.

The silver haired male stopped as well, and watched as the middle-aged librarian pointed at a rather large bookshelf next to her.

"Here are all the books related to history" the brown haired woman spoke as she addressed him. "Is there any specific subject that you are interested in?"

A thoughtful look crossed the young man's ethereal visage while he carefully eyed the bookshelf filled with hundreds of books related to various history subjects.

"Hmm... I would like to see the books related to the general history of humanity."

As soon as she heard his request, the female librarian reached toward the bookshelf in front of her and proceeded to remove some of the books from it, before she walked to a nearby table and placed them on top of it.

"These are all of them" she indicated at the small pile of books lying atop the medium sized table. "Good luck with your reading."

"Thank you."

Following the young man's reply, the brown haired middle-aged woman turned around and walked away from him as she headed back to her desk at the other part of the library.

The silver haired young man quickly seated himself at the table, before he took the first book in chronological order and opened it.

However, after only a few pages in, he felt a cold chill crawl down his spine as he read about this humanity's _exploits_.

And the more he continued to read about their past, the more he began to dread about what he would encounter further down the timeline.

He still didn't want to believe that these humans were no different from the ones in his world, however, he couldn't deny the facts he had been reading for the past minutes.

But even so, he still read further, hoping that their foolishness had been a product of their lack of civilization and proper understanding.

And yet, as he kept reading, flipping page after page as his now crimson eyes carefully took in every word, he was slowly beginning to realize that even after so many years of so called _evolution_ , these humans had achieved nothing more than creating more intricate weapons to kill themselves with, as well as to find more and more petty reasons to fight for.

Slavery, subjugation of others, wars, people abused by those who held more power and prestige, wars which increased in scale and destruction as the time passed, until they engulfed the entire world... twice... genocide... millions of innocents slaughtered with weapons of mass destruction just to instill fear into a nation... and many other horrors which had happened during the history of this world's people.

##

Around three hours seemed to have passed from the moment when the silver haired young man had begun reading, however, he felt as if he had spent thrice the amount of time seated on his wooden chair.

His hope for finding a humanity better than that of his world was slowly crumbling into dust as he kept reading more and more about their history.

The atrocities they had committed during their past were even worse than those that he had witnessed during the millennium he had spent watching over his own world's people.

His hand shook minutely as he tried to flip the page he had just finished reading. That was just how much he dreaded what he would be finding next.

And yet, he quickly steeled his resolve, telling himself that there was still hope for them.

He had only read the history up until a few dozen years from the current time.

And judging by what he had seen ever since the moment when he had arrived in this world, right now there seemed to be peace.

So that meant that they must have finally achieved what he had been hoping to find.

Even if their past had been filled with bloodshed, if they had managed to reach such a lasting pace by themselves, then it meant that they had managed to see the mistakes they had been making and had succeeded in correcting them.

And with that thought in mind, the young man turned over the page, his eyes immediately seeking the title written at the top.

 _Contemporary world of humanism_

As soon as these words registered in his mind, a breath that he didn't know he had been holding escaped the young man's mouth.

He sighed, relieved that his worst fears had been ultimately unfounded and that the hope he had been clinging onto for the past few hours hadn't been crushed.

It seemed that despite starting off even worse than the humans of his world, the humans of this world had managed to do something that those of his world hadn't been able to do by themselves.

They had managed to put aside their differences and had reached a mutual understanding which had eventually led them to an era of lasting peace.

The white haired young man closed the book that he had just finished reading and reached to his left to grab the next one, though he ended up only grasping at empty air.

He quickly realized that he had actually finished all the books that he had been given, and despite the slight happiness that he was feeling now that he had seen that humans could coexist with themselves without warring against each other, he still felt a little disappointed that he couldn't read about their more recent exploits.

The book that he had just finished about the era of peace that had dawned upon this world ever since a few decades ago didn't offer any details about the most recent history.

He gave a brief glance around the part of the library that he was currently occupying as he wondered why there were apparently no books which spoke of the history spanning the last few years.

He had found himself rather curious and wanted to read more about this humanity's progression during an era of peace, although, unfortunately, it seemed that he had exhausted all of the material that he had been given to read.

Several moments passed in thoughtful silence, before the young man seemed to suddenly remember something.

It was a remembrance from that middle-aged man.

It showed him the man utilizing a rather peculiar contraption—a computer—as he had soon learned after going further through that specific memory fragment.

That middle-aged man had been using this so called computer to browse for the recent news on a place called the 'Internet', more specifically on something called a news website where everything which had recently occurred seemed to be available for public access.

The young man smiled after realizing that he could use this 'Internet' to browse for the more recent history of the world.

And it seemed that he was quite fortunate, because during the time when his gaze had been wandering absentmindedly around his surroundings while he had been lost in his thoughts, he had noticed some of these computers placed in the far corner of the room atop a large wooden desk.

The young man stood up from his chair and quickly walked to that part of the library where those computers were located.

As soon as he reached his destination, he took a seat in front of one of the contraptions and began inspecting it.

He had obtained some of the basic knowledge required to operate one of these computers after going through the memories of that man, so he didn't have to waste any more time with calling the librarian to help him out, and immediately pressed the power button as he watched the machine flare to life.

He spent a few moments waiting for it to finish the startup process, and when the computer was capable of being used, he placed his hand on the mouse and guided the cursor on the desktop, until it hovered above the icon for the Internet.

He double clicked it and waited for the application to completely load, before he accessed the same website that man had been using to browse for the world's latest news.

There he was bound to find something about the more recent happenings in this world.

As soon as that specific website was completely loaded, the silver haired young man began reading the various content displayed on it.

There were many entries featuring mundane events which were of no interest to him, so he continued scrolling down the page in order to reveal more of its content.

After spending around ten minutes with seemingly no luck in finding anything worth of interest, the young man was about to give up and try checking another of these websites in the hope that they might offer him what he sought.

However, just as he was about to close the current webpage his attention was quickly ensnared by an article which became visible right after he had scrolled down to the very bottom of the page.

Though, as soon as his pale eyes found the article's title, the young man blinked a few times in confusion.

 _Indonesian Genocide; The Reality._

He stared in bewilderment at the screen for a few seconds, until his mind seemed to have finally caught up with what he had just read, moment when he immediately clicked on the article.

Despite believing this piece of news to be some joke made by a human with a more unique sense of humor, he still found himself curious about its content.

He wasn't all too versed in the arts of this world's humor, so he decided to do some research to better understand it.

After all, it wouldn't do to once again make a fool of himself, simply because he lacked the proper knowledge on a topic that played quite the important role in these humans social behavior.

And yet, the more he read of this particular article, the less he believed it to be a joke.

The person who had written it seemed to be very adamant about requesting the help of other people in a rally whose objective was the organization of multiple protests against the policies enacted by the Indonesian Government.

There was even a petition at the bottom of the page which urged the people to take action.

 _support#WeAtAidTheWorld#now_

After his eyes left the last line of the article, the young man seemed to take a few moments to gather his thoughts.

He still seemed to have trouble believing the points that the article raised.

Though, how could he not?

Everything included in that article conflicted with what he had read so far about the present situation of this world.

It made no sense for something such as this to happen in a world where peace appeared to be a constant.

And that was exactly why the young man wasted no more time and promptly shut down the computer.

He had better things to do than paying heed to unamusing jokes made by anonymous people who sought attention on this 'Internet'.

And yet, as he slowly walked through the library, he couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for that article to actually be real.

Absorbed in his thoughts as he was, he didn't notice that he had reached the other end of the library until the middle-aged female librarian's voice brought him out of his musings.

"Have you found out whatever you had been looking for?"

The young man looked in the direction of the brown haired woman as soon as her words had registered in his preoccupied mind.

"Yes, I have" he quickly replied in a polite tone. "Thank you for allowing me to access this library's resources, madam."

The woman gave him a warm smile as she responded.

"You are welcome, sir" she paused to search for something inside one of the drawers of her desk, before retrieving something from it.

She offered him a small piece of paper with the contacts of the library while adding a few more parting words. "If you ever need to read any particular book, do not hesitate to visit us again."

The young man accepted the small business card offered to him by the woman and returned her smile.

"I see" he spoke as he placed the card inside the right pocket of his coat. "I shall keep that in mind if the need ever rises again."

He then walked toward the door, before leaving the library as he began walking down the street with no real destination in his mind.

A few moments passed, and the young man's thoughts once again started to drift toward the topic that had been previously occupying his mind until that woman had interrupted him.

He continued to wonder if that article he had read on that news website could possibly speak about something real.

He gave a brief look around himself and took in the details of the multitude of humans that were walking around him while busy attending to their respective businesses.

He did not want to believe that such a peaceful world could be capable of committing the things mentioned by that article.

And yet, he didn't seem to be able to get that particular thought out of his mind.

A couple more minutes passed as the young man continued to walk on the crowded street, though that particular thought never left his mind for even one second.

He stopped abruptly and let out a deep sigh, an action which prompted an old man to send him a curious look as he passed by him.

Though, the silver haired young man didn't seem to pay any mind to that elderly man's action, and instead looked around him as if searching for something.

Not even a second later, he seemed to have spotted whatever he had been looking for, because he quickly resumed his walking at quite the fast pace toward what looked like an alley. The exact one that he had found himself in when he had arrived in this world, to be more specific.

As soon as he stepped within the permeating darkness of the alleyway, the young man quickly called upon his chakra, prompting his outfit to morph back into the one he had been wearing at the time of his arrival.

His pale eyes rested on the space in front of him, and he once more willed his chakra into action.

The effect seemed to be instant, and the very fabric of space-time in front of him suddenly split open, revealing nothing but an endless black void to be seen within the newly created rupture in the air.

A moment later, the young man walked toward the fissure in space as one thought seemed to have been left in his mind.

' _Why let my mind be plagued by what-ifs when with nothing but a mere thought I can check the situation myself?'_

And with that, he entered the inky black portal which instantly shut itself in his wake, leaving no trace of his earlier presence behind.

##

 **Meanwhile with Yuno...**

The usually quiet and depressing atmosphere of the classroom was even more accentuated by the current absence of the idle and pointless chatter that would normally be entertained by many of its young occupants.

The reason for such a drastic and unusual change in the behavior of the students appeared to be the white sheet of paper on which most of them were writing with stunning enthusiasm.

And yet, not all of the students seemed to be exhibiting such zest when it came to filling the blank paper on their desk.

A young girl with rose colored hair seated at her desk in the back of the classroom seemed to be the only one struggling with the current task.

The pencil in her trembling fingers continued to hover over the blank paper, unmoving and unable to write anything.

Yuno glanced for the umpteenth time at the round clock on the wall at the front of the classroom and noticed that it indicated 15:20.

It had been twenty minutes since she had received this survey, but despite all of her effort and deep thinking, she hasn't been able to write anything other than her name.

She glared sharply at the white piece of paper that seemed to be mocking her with its very existence, her eyes seeking for yet another time the offending title that was the cause of her current inner struggle.

 _Your dreams for the future: What do you want to do in the future?_

Yuno continued to stare at the blank sheet, repeating that question in her mind over and over again.

What was she supposed to do in the future? Did she even have one?

After several more minutes of fruitless thinking, Yuno glanced once again at the clock, noting that it indicated 15:30.

Another ten minutes had passed, and most of her classmates had already left. Those who had yet to leave were either packing up their stuff or were walking enthusiastically to the teacher's desk with their paper in hands.

It didn't take long until everyone else besides her had left the classroom.

Even the teacher had to leave at some point as he told her that he needed to take care of some urgent business.

And so, Yuno was left as the sole occupant of the classroom, with the blank sheet of paper on her desk and the dark and depressing thoughts that were plaguing her mind.

However, no matter how much she thought about it, she still couldn't find any answer to her dilemma.

In the end, there was truly nothing waiting for her at the end of the day, and no matter how much she struggled to find something within this dark, unseen mass of swirling gloom and despair that was her future, she would never be able to come out with anything to write.

After all, what kind of future would there be for a daughter who had killed her own parents?

Yuno didn't know the answer to that question.

The only thing that she knew with certainty was the fact that she no longer had anything to wake up in the morning for. Her life was now meaningless, and all that she could do was wait for the inevitable to finally come.

Yuno was suddenly brought out of her spiral of depressing thoughts by the sound of the class dismissal bell.

She quickly glanced at the clock that was indicating 15:50, and realized that the last period was finally over.

Moments later, she stood up from her desk with the blank paper in hand and walked up to the empty teacher's desk with almost mechanical movements.

She briefly glanced at the stack of papers neatly arranged on top of the desk, before her eyes wandered back to the blank sheet that she currently held in her hands.

With her previous thoughts still more than fresh in her mind, Yuno didn't waste any more time and immediately crumpled the sheet of paper in her hands, before throwing it in the trash can next to the door.

After that, she returned to her desk, grabbed her things and then slowly walked out of the classroom with a resigned look marring her beautiful features.

##

 **[Indonesia]**

The silver haired young man stepped out of the pitch black opening in the fabric of space-time and silently assessed his surroundings.

He paid no mind to the portal closing itself, and instead glanced around himself as he took in the sight of the numerous wooden houses and farming fields, as well as dozens of people going about through the village as they saw to their respective businesses.

The sound of two people speaking to each other in a language that he didn't recognize caught the young man's attention, prompting him to quickly vanish from the spot that he had been occupying.

He reappeared a few meters away from his previous position, now finding himself inside the shadows cast by the large roof of a nearby house as he watched an old man and equally old woman appear from around the corner of the house that he had initially arrived next to.

' _This is a rather peaceful village'_ the young man mused as he continued to observe the people in his vicinity.

' _That article must have indeed been a joke...'_ he continued inwardly as his eyes once again found the elderly duo who were taking a walk through the village. _'But still... I should investigate a little more just to make sure.'_

He might have been rather skeptical about the nature of that article which he had seen on the Internet, however, he knew better than taking things at face value without doing any sort of investigation to assess whether said claims were the truth or not.

And with that thought in mind, the young man proceeded to call upon his chakra as he subtly and smoothly infiltrated the elder man's mind, his objective being the gathering of information both on the language, as well as on the state of their lives.

This task didn't prove to be much of a problem for him, however, it still took him a few minutes to get all the required knowledge, since he had to keep his activity concealed from the person whose mind he was accessing.

He was very much aware of the fact that he could have completed this task in only a few moments if he were to brutally search for and rip the memories from the man's mind, however, he didn't need to resort to such barbaric methods.

Not when he could do it in a much more invasive and undetectable manner.

And while both of these methods definitely paled in front of the absolute power of the _Human Path_ , which granted him a complete absorption of a soul's memories in a mere moment, he didn't want to go through any unnecessary ordeals, such as altering the memories of those who might happen to witness his actions, as well as those of the recipient of said actions.

Several more moments had passed, before the young man exited the elderly man's mind, with said individual being none the wiser to the actions which had transpired as he continued to walk alongside the old woman down the stone paved street.

The robed young man spent the next fifteen or so minutes going through everything that he had learned from that man's memories as he methodically studied their language.

As soon as he seemed to be done learning the new language, he switched to analyzing the rest of the man's memories, from which he learned the nature of this village as being a farming one with the task of providing a food supply to the bigger cities in its vicinity.

He also learned that nothing of major importance had happened around here, as the village was a peaceful one, with every person minding their own business as they lived in their small but steadily growing community.

' _So that article had indeed been nothing more than a joke'_ the young man thought with a small smile as he observed some of the children play with each other on a street several feet away from his position.

' _Well then, I think that I should return to Japan and see if I can find any other interesting things to read about this world'_ he mused as he prepared to create another opening in the fabric of space-time.

However, just as he was about to will his chakra to split open the air in front of him, the young man's attention was suddenly drawn by a series of noises coming from the not-so-far distance.

He swiftly turned his head to regard whatever might be occurring and found himself raising a nonexistent eyebrow in questioning as he saw several vehicles approaching the outskirts of the village.

He immediately recognized their origin and purpose after he noticed the distinctive camouflage patterns of both the vehicles and the clothes of the people residing within them, which clearly indicated an affiliation to some sort of military.

His curiosity having been piqued for the time being, the young man decided to wait and see for what reason the army had seen it fit to send its personnel in this farming village.

However, his curiosity soon made way for slight confusion when he heard one of the people dressed in army uniform yell some orders at the others, prompting them to quickly scatter throughout the village.

' _Separate the children and round up the rest in the middle of the village?'_ the young man inwardly repeated the words he had just heard that man speak.

His confusion only grew as he wondered what these soldiers were trying to accomplish by doing that.

It was definitely strange to see the military suddenly storm into a small village and gather its inhabitants in one place.

It almost reminded him of several similar scenarios which had occurred throughout the history of his own world...

As soon as that train of thought formed inside the young man's mind, a cold feeling of dread crawled up his spine.

Could that be the case here as well?

' _No...'_ he thought as he attempted to rationalize the matter. _'That cannot be the case here._ '

That was something that only a certain kind of twisted individuals would do, and he truly did not want to believe that such could be the case here as well.

However, the more he continued to observe the unfolding events, the more he felt dread replace his previous confusion.

These soldiers seemed to be searching each and every house, locking inside any children that they found while dragging the women by their hair outside.

The men had an even rougher treatment. They would be kicked along the streets until they reached the center of the village.

But despite everything that he watched, the young man continued to tell himself that his dreadful assumptions could not possibly be the case here, and that whatever was happening had to be some sort of misunderstanding which would be quickly solved.

And yet, as if to spite his wishful thinking, the exact opposite seemed to be happening.

The soldiers, each of them carrying a flaming torch in their hands, stopped in front of the houses where the children were locked within, and without as much as a shred of remorse threw said torches inside the houses.

The effect was almost instantaneous.

The dried up wood which made up most of the houses, as well as the extremely flammable hay which composed the roofs were quickly lit ablaze as the merciless flames rapidly spread around to engulf and devour everything in their path.

The young man watched with a disbelieving look etched into his features as the dozens of houses slowly burned away, his mind barely registering the pitiful cries of the children who were being burned alive, or the desperate pleas of help from the mothers who were forced to helplessly watch their own children die before their very eyes.

He could not comprehend why such a thing would happen.

Why would these people of the military commit such an atrocity?

Were they not supposed to help and protect the civilians? Their own people?

Was this world even worse than his one?

Was his past self's final wish truly a mere pipe dream?

The young man wanted to deny all of this, however, the facts were irrefutable.

He was currently witnessing the true visage of this ugly world, no longer masked by the pleasant and deceiving mask of a so-called _peace_.

And still, despite everything that he had witnessed so far, he still continued to cling to the hope that maybe all of this was somehow just a _grave_ misunderstanding.

He was aware that he might be deluding himself, however, he simply did not want to admit that this humanity was also hopeless...

Or at least not until he knew the motives behind the atrocities committed by these soldiers.

The young man ignored the smell of burnt flesh that had saturated the entirety of the village and swept over the surrounding area, his eyes searching for the man who had been the one to previously issue the orders to the others.

It did not take him more than a few seconds to find his target, and as soon as he did, his pale eyes that reflected equal amounts of sadness and anger rapidly changed, with their pupil shrinking as several ripples covered the sclera that became a deep violet.

The young man wasted no time and instantly vanished from his spot, appearing in front of the squad leader, who was resting in the shadows cast by the roof of an empty building that had been spared from the previous inferno.

##

The middle-aged man dressed in military uniform immediately dropped the small bottle that he had been drinking from as soon as his eyes noticed the new presence that had suddenly appeared less than a few inches away from him.

He instinctively moved his arm to grab his gun from its holster at his hip, however, his attempt was thwarted as soon as he felt a weight placed on his head.

Fear instantly shot through him as he realized that he wasn't able to move any muscle, nor utter a single sound.

Even his eyes were frozen in their sockets, and only the fact that the mysterious assailant was standing before him had allowed the man to discern his identity.

The person in front of him was a young man whose hand seemed to be what had been previously placed atop his head.

The military officer wasn't sure what was happening when he felt a strange sensation wash over his being, nor when immediately after that it suddenly began to rain, however, as soon as his eyes registered the ominous image of the young man's rippling orbs, he realized one simple thing.

He wouldn't be getting out of whatever _this_ was alive, fact which had also turned out to be the truth when not even a second later he felt only weightlessness for a split second, before the world turned dark for him.

##

As soon as the silver haired young man placed his hand atop his target's head, he immediately began looking through the soldier's memories for anything related to what was currently occurring around him.

However, not even halfway through the first memory fragment, and he could feel how the hope that he had been holding onto until this very moment began to rapidly crack.

The human whose memories he was currently reading appeared to have been ordered by his superiors to do all of this...

They had told him to dispose of every single person that lived in this city, before burning it down to the ground.

They had told him that the people living here were of impure blood and that they had to be exterminated before they ended up spreading their impurity to the nearby villages.

Though, that seemed to be only one of the reasons.

The other one was the government's desire to exploit the lands beneath which this village was constructed.

Apparently, the soil around this place was very rich in rare minerals and the government wanted to make use of it, however, they had been having trouble so far because the lands were owned by this village, and its administration was unwilling to relinquish its ownership on them due to their historical and cultural value.

The white haired young man could only feel disgust at what he was witnessing from the squad leader's memories, and as he kept going through memory after memory, his anger was growing even further.

Eventually, his anger reached such heights that his chakra began to react to his unstable emotional state, something which quickly led to the very world around him to be affected.

The heavens visibly darkened as the clouds rapidly gathered together, obscuring the sun and the azure sky from view.

Moments later rain also followed, small droplets of water falling one after the other as they fell upon the barren earth.

The burning remnants of the village houses were slowly being extinguished, revealing the charred bodies belonging to the children who had been trapped within and burned alive.

Though, despite all of the rain that was falling everywhere around him, the young man still had yet to realize what he subconsciously seemed to be doing.

He was too deeply caught within his own thoughts while he continued to read the soldier's memories to take notice of anything else.

But that only served to disgust and anger him further as he learned more and more of the motivations behind what was currently transpiring in the village.

Greed. Hatred. Lack of understanding...

Once again, he was met face to face with the reasons for why mankind had never been able to overcome its hopeless and wretched past.

Though now he could no longer deny the facts, nor delude himself anymore. Not after he had once again seen firsthand what humans were truly capable of.

How things such as greed and hatred would motivate them to commit atrocities without any whit of guilt or remorse.

He felt like a naïve fool for hoping that the humans of this world would be any different from those of his own world.

They were all _humans_ , after all. And humans would always be the same hopeless species regardless of their origins.

With a swift movement of the wrist, the young man retracted his hand as he ripped the middle-aged man's soul, prompting the now lifeless body to fall to the ground like a doll whose strings had just been cut.

After releasing the soul from his grip, he spent a few moments gazing emptily at the scene that was now playing in the center of the village, his mind still having yet to register the rain that had become even heavier by the time he had finished reading that soldier's memories.

The young man watched with dull eyes as some of the other couple dozen or so of the soldiers dragged the women away, their intentions clearly visible on their leering faces, whereas the rest remained behind and began to mercilessly beat the men, all the while laughing as they did so.

He continued to observe the unfolding events with an eerie calmness that one could liken to a foreshadowing of the turbulent times that would soon come to follow.

He idly wondered why he was even there anymore.

Now that he had finally understood how his foolish hope of finding a 'better' humanity was nothing more than a pipe dream, he should have just given up on this pitiful care and hope that he had been harboring for mankind this entire time.

His musings were abruptly interrupted by an ear piercing scream that had come from the center of the town.

It appeared that the soldiers had gotten bored of their previous source of entertainment, and now, instead of beating the men to death, they were cutting their limbs with their machetes as they laughed even more uproariously.

Then, after they seemed to get bored of watching the limbless men grovel desperately on the ground, they pulled out their guns and shot them in their heads as another round of laughter erupted from them.

Meanwhile, the silver haired young man seemed to have finally acknowledged the heavy rain which was pouring down from the skies and was wondering if this was the world's way of trying to wash away the sins of these humans.

Or perhaps nature itself was crying at the atrocities that it had to witness on a daily basis?

He wasn't sure of the exact reason, however, there was one thing that he was quite certain about.

And that was the fact that not even this rain would be enough to cleanse these humans of their sins.

' _No..._ ' the young man trailed in his thoughts. _'Something much more potent would be required for such a task.'_

A moment later, he seemed to reach an epiphany as the statement he had previously made in his mind acted akin to a trigger for his sudden realization.

And with that he now finally understood what the true purpose of this downpour was.

The world was not trying to wash away anything, nor was it crying at the atrocities committed by these humans.

No.

Nature was merely weeping at the untold amount of destruction that would soon have to befall it, because of the behavior of these foolish humans who had succeeded in angering a primordial being.

Cold fury slowly gripped the young man as he continued to witness the actions of those humans standing less than a few dozen meters away from him.

And yet, his visage still held that eerily calm expression as he had never lost his composure even while being subjected to such a degree of anger.

He took a step forward and walked in the direction of the soldiers who were busy sexually assaulting the women without seeming to care if some of the still alive men were witnessing their daughters or wives getting raped in front of their very eyes.

A pitch black substance suddenly began to appear underneath the young man's left palm as he continued to walk slowly but steadily toward the people gathered in the center of the village.

His hand squeezed on the malleable substance, prompting it to instantly morph into a ceremonial staff that he gripped firmly.

"You who know naught but to spread death and misery as you walk shrouded in the darkness of your lives..."

His voice was barely audible, though it firmly carried the spoken words, and his gaze became colder as his features hardened.

"You who revel in vice and drown your very souls in sin..."

Despite not being very far away from the gathering of people, it seemed that none of them had registered his spoken words, for they seemed to be quickly drowned by the cries and screams of the many women that were being brutally assaulted by the soldiers.

However, the young man didn't seem to care about that, and simply continued speaking, as if his words hadn't even been intended for such an insignificant audience in the first place.

"Foolish and pathetic humans..."

He slowly raised his ebon shakujō, a solemn expression etched into his visage.

"I believe it is time you faced some judgement."

A moment after those words left his mouth, the snow haired young man swiftly brought his hand down, striking the muddy soil with the sun-shaped end of his staff while channeling his power through it.

The shakujō flashed white for a moment, before numerous ripples traversed the ground from the point of contact as the previously built up chakra was released in a brief pulse.

The effect was instantaneous.

The divine energy carrying the will of a wrathful god subjugated the very nature to obey his command, and everything was immediately engulfed in a blinding light as the world came to experience for the first time the all-consuming wrath of a primordial deity.

##

The distinctive silhouette of a rather young looking female could be seen illuminated by the faint light that was coming from a gas lamp lying on the cold stone floor a few feet away from her feet.

Seemingly unperturbed by the rather chilling atmosphere that permeated the interior of the cave she was currently residing in, the woman continued with her previous activity as she hummed a cheery tune to herself.

Caramel colored slender hands reached for a nearby plant that was growing out of a crack where the wall of the cave met the floor, before calloused fingers swiftly pulled it out and deposited it in a straw basket.

After several minutes of similar plucking activities, the young woman suddenly stopped and sat herself down on the cold floor.

She grabbed the lower end of the brown colored sarong that snugly covered her form and used it to wipe the sweat that had accumulated on her face.

The woman removed several stray strands of ebony hair that had been ruffled by her previous wiping and tucked them behind her right ear.

She spent a few more seconds leaning against the stone wall as her brown eyes slowly trailed down her frame until they stopped on her visibly swollen belly.

Her gaze was instantly filled with motherly warmth, and she began to slowly caress her stomach with affectionate hands, a loving smile forming on her lips as she felt her baby shift a little inside of her womb in response to her previous actions.

Suddenly, the dark haired young woman was jolted out of her reverie when she felt the cave around her start to shake as several tremors traveled through the ground.

Not even a second later, and with nothing but the safety of her unborn child in mind, the woman immediately sprung to her feet and began running toward the exit of the cave, her herb basket and gas lamp lying forgotten behind her on the cold stone floor.

##

The blinding whiteness engulfed the surroundings in an instant, expanding and enveloping miles upon miles of land in the blink of an eye.

Everything it touched was rapidly vaporized, until nothing was left behind.

Rocks were ripped away from the earth by the force of the shockwave and were immediately turned into dust as the light swept over them.

A nearby city was removed from the face of the earth after the whiteness swallowed it, everything happening so fast that its inhabitants had not even had the time to register their own deaths.

One second they had been seeing to their life and the next they were turned to piles of ash that quickly scattered in the wind.

The blinding whiteness eventually died down after a brief while, though it didn't look like things were over yet.

As soon as the light dissipated, an enormous crater spanning over several kilometers could be now seen scarring the earth.

However, admiring this new wound that the world had just suffered didn't seem to be possible for the time being, for almost immediately after the previous whiteness had dispersed, the ground began to rumble and shake violently as numerous tremors traversed through it.

Winds suddenly started to pick up, and the sky quickly darkened as clouds were gathered together by the ferocious gusts that were now blowing with relentless abandon.

Chunks of earth were fractured under the pressure of an unseen force, only to be then swept away by surging waters that erupted from the fissures.

A massive tidal wave emerged from the cracks in the soil around the crater and rose to unimaginable heights, before it eventually caved in on itself and spilled over the surrounding scenery, consuming everything in its path with frenzied hunger.

Arcs of lightning began dancing on the darkened sky, mixing with the swirling winds in a harmonious dance of destruction as they grew in intensity.

Merciless cyclones dawned from the angered heavens and swept over the earth, leaving only devastation in their wake.

Numerous bolts of lightning struck the battered landscape in rhythmic succession as they accompanied the other natural disasters in their deadly harmony.

If the world had been crying before, then now it would surely be weeping openly at the irreparable amount of damage that had just befallen it.

The wrath of a primordial god had left its mark upon the world, and the scars that now marred its beauty would never properly heal. They would serve as an ugly reminder of mankind's foolishness to anyone who would stop to gaze at the aftermath of this unforeseen cataclysm.

##

She ran as fast as her legs were able to carry her, no longer caring about the burning sensation in her feet as it seemed to have been completely overridden by her survival instincts.

The entrance to the cave could be seen several meters in front of her, and she mentally thanked God for giving her enough strength to reach the exit before the whole tunnel collapsed on her.

The dark haired woman stopped from her running as soon as she was outside the cave, however, her relief and joy at escaping possible death were short lived, because as soon as her eyes took in the surroundings, she wished that she had remained inside the cavern.

Widened brown eyes gazed in incomprehension at the scene playing before them as the young woman struggled to come to terms with what she was currently witnessing.

A multitude of typhoons were sweeping the landscape while being accompanied by an uncountable number of lightning bolts that were striking the defenseless soil, gouging out chunks of it upon impact and leaving behind only charred craters.

Almost as if in a trance, the woman continued to watch the spectacle that was unfolding before her disbelieving eyes.

She had seen many monsoons during her life, however, what she was gazing at right now was in a league of its own above even the harshest and most intense monsoon that her country had ever experienced.

Awed by the intimidating sight before her eyes, the woman had even forgotten her previous intentions and was now standing unmoving while staring speechless at the fury of the nature playing before her.

Suddenly, she was broken out of her previous trance when her eyes caught sight of something in the distance.

A few seconds later, she was able to properly discern what that was and her shock returned in full force, however, this time it was also accompanied by terror.

A huge tidal wave was approaching at incredible speed, swallowing everything in its destructive path with ravenous hunger.

With her survival instincts once again kicking in and temporarily overcoming her fear, the dark haired woman was able to quickly turn around, her intention being obvious as she gazed at the entrance of the cave in front of her.

Her best bet right now would be to get as deep as possible inside the cave before the tsunami reached her position and buried her under tens of tons of raging water.

With her mind firmly decided upon the course of action, the young woman wasted no more time and immediately made a mad dash for the cave, however, her escape plan seemed to have been cut short before it could have even properly begun.

Not even a few steps inside the arching cave, and the only warning that she got was a rumbling sound above her, before everything turned dark for the woman as numerous boulders fell upon her unsuspecting form, snuffing the life out of her in an instant.

It seemed that in her previous state of distress, she had forgotten to take into account the possibility of the cave's structural integrity getting destabilized by the earlier earthquake, and as such, she had now paid the price for her foolishness with her own life as well as that of her yet to be born child.

##

 **Several minutes earlier [Unknown Location]**

The eerie, purple tinted domed chamber that represented the domain of the God of Time and Space suddenly began to rumble violently as it seemed to be subjected to the effects of some unknown force.

A panicking voice suddenly shot through the recesses of the chamber.

"Boss, what's going on?!" Murmur shouted as she ran across the room, dodging the occasional falling piece of debris as well as the purple arcs of lightning that erratically struck the floor every few seconds.

She had been reading one of her favorite manga, when without any warning whatsoever, a series of tremors started shaking the whole place.

Noticing the prolonged lack of any response from her superior, the diminutive girl glanced in the direction of his jagged ivory throne.

Despite the rather powerful quakes that were currently rocking the entire chamber, Deus appeared to be quite calm and was curiously observing the holographic screens in front of him as he typed on his keyboard-like device.

With a swipe of his hand, the God of a Time and Space manifested a large screen in front of his throne which instantly caught his servant's attention, prompting her to stop running and stare at it in curiosity.

Eventually, the tremors had gradually subsided, and the chamber was no longer shaking, however, none of that seemed to matter to either Deus or Murmur as they were much more busy observing the events which were currently playing on the holographic display.

"Boss..." Murmur whispered with no small traces of disbelief in her voice as she watched what looked like a series of violent natural disasters devastate the entirety of Indonesia in less than a few minutes. "What exactly just happened?"

Deus, who had been simply watching everything until now, finally decided to speak and addressed his slightly shocked servant. "I believe that we had just witnessed something akin to a cataclysm take place" he voiced out with a chuckle. "I also believe that it had been quite the marvelous experience, don't you agree, Murmur?"

Judging by her slightly narrow-eyed expression, Murmur didn't seem to be very amused by her superior's remark.

"Deus..." she whispered once more, however, this time her voice had a rather dangerous undertone to it. "I don't think this is the time to get all excited over this. Millions of causalities had been changed or had outright collapsed, and we still don't know who or what is responsible for all of this."

"You worry too much, Murmur" Deus replied as he waved off her concern. "The damage to the causal nexus can be easily repaired. As for the unknown itself, didn't I tell you last time to be patient? Until we meet whomever or whatever had caused all of this, we should just enjoy the entertainment that be are being provided with."

Upon hearing her superior's explanation, Murmur seemed to calm down a little and was now contemplating the recent occurrences. During her entire time as a servant to Deus, there had never been such a case where some unknown force would appear out of nowhere and start messing around in their dimension.

However, there wasn't much that either she or Deus could do, since it seemed to be impossible for them to locate this unknown variable, which meant that they would have to wait for it to approach them instead.

The diminutive girl inspected the room around her, before she glanced back at Deus, who was now once again busy typing on his keyboard-like device as he adjusted some of the causalities in Sakurami City in preparation for the upcoming survival game.

' _You call it entertainment, but I'm the one who has to fix all of this...'_ Murmur thought sullenly as she performed damage control on the flow of causalities. _'And just when I was finally getting to the best part of that manga...'_

##

 **Current time [Indonesia]**

The darkened clouds were now slowly dissipating, with the occasional stray bolt of lightning still crackling along their surface every now and then.

The previously destructive gusts of wind had now been reduced to mild breezes which carried the large amount of displaced dust as they soared towards the slowly uncovering heavens.

Numerous brilliant rays of the midday sun struggled to make their way through the slowly widening gaps in the thick blanket of clouds, piercing through the blue heavens until they reached the water covered ground.

And yet, none of these seemed to matter to the sole occupant of the now barren landscape, a young man whose snowy colored tresses gently swayed in the mild breeze.

This lonesome individual stood silently atop the large body of water, seemingly unconcerned with how he was defying the laws of physics as he gazed absentmindedly at his surroundings.

His pale and delicate features were marred by a rather complicated expression which showed hints of sadness, disappointment, and oddly enough, of liberation.

Sadness because he had to resort to such a forceful and destructive method to express his anger at mankind's foolishness.

Disappointment because his hopes of seeing a different and better humanity had been forever dashed away and replaced with a dull emptiness.

And liberation because despite everything that had happened, he felt oddly at peace and dare he say even free to some extent.

He felt as though a huge burden had been lifted of his soul, and that all of the chains which had been previously keeping him bound had now been shattered.

It was an unusual feeling, however, it was not unpleasant.

Not in the least.

His thoughts slowly wondered back at the promise that he had made to his other self, before they had merged together into their current entity.

The young man recalled how during his previous life as Hagoromo, he had watched the humans of his world for over a millennium.

And even after having observed the people of Elemental Nations for so long, he had still not abandoned his hope of seeing a different mankind, one that would be better than that of his own world.

That had also been the last wish which his previous self, as well as his transmigrant, had both shared, before their merging and subsequent reincarnation, when he had been entrusted with it.

But now...

Now the young man could no longer cling to that foolish ideal. Not after he had just witnessed with his own two eyes what these humans were truly capable of.

They were pitiful creatures, hopeless in every aspect and bound to forever head down a path full of darkness and misery.

He had been truly a fool for holding onto this fragile hope for so long. He should have long ago abandoned this pitiable care for humanity.

However, despite thinking all of this, deep down within his soul, he knew the reason for why he had not given up on his hope until now.

If he were to have done as such, then he would have been left with no purpose whatsoever during his many centuries of existence outside time itself, as well as during his second life after his reincarnation.

After he had fulfilled his inherited life goal, he had been left with the last wish that Hagoromo had expressed, before he had merged his soul with that of his transmigrant's in order to create him.

The one who would carry on both of their legacies, as well as their dreams and wishes.

But now, with that final wish also gone, as it had turned out to be nothing more than a mere pipe dream, he had been left with naught but a dull void...

He might have felt liberated now that he was no longer plagued by what-ifs and other concerns regarding humans, however, he also felt emptiness at losing this hope that he had been holding onto for such a long time.

He felt lost, and right now, he did not know what he should do. He did not know how to proceed from this point onward.

Was there even something for him to look forward to?

He might be a primordial being with absolute power, however, if he had nothing to direct it toward, then it all amounted to naught in the end.

Before all of this had taken place, before this fateful revelation had shown him the ugly visage hidden beneath the beguiling mask of the illusion known as peace... he had sometimes entertained the idea of once again disseminating the principles of his religion, albeit with a small twist.

He would have not repeated his past mistake by spreading chakra to people, but if he were to find humans worthy enough, then he would have taken his time to teach them the principles of his religion and life philosophy and perhaps even offer them something akin to a blessing.

At that time, he had been certain that the possibility for people to connect their hearts to one another and reach an otherworldly level of understanding even without direct access to chakra surely existed.

But now, after that dream had turned out to be impossible, he was truly left with nothing else other than the emptiness that he was currently experiencing.

He had put so much faith in these humans, and they had rewarded it by shattering all of his hopes.

The young man's depressing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a deep voice that came from the pitch-black glove covering his left hand.

It seemed that Alduin had finally decided to make known its own thoughts regarding this most recent turn of events.

"Father..." the creature spoke with a resounding hiss, drawing its creator's attention. "These humans aren't even worth the time you spend thinking about them."

Hearing this, the young man glanced at the back of the dark colored glove on his left hand and was met with two sickly yellow eyes, as well as a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth.

Honestly, he felt slightly better now that he knew what Alduin's thoughts on this matter were.

He was truly thankful to his past self for creating Alduin back then, because until now, it had been a huge help to him, either with assisting him with various tasks, or with offering its emotional support during his moments of wavering.

Alduin's previous words continued to ring in the young man's mind, and with each passing second he could see more and more of the truth that lay within them.

He had dedicated so much of his previous life to teaching the humans of his world ways to help them understand themselves better, and even after a thousand years of witnessing their foolish behavior that brought him nothing but constant regret, he had still not given up on them.

He had continued to look for ways to mend the damage he had caused during his previous life, and had even given the humans another chance at achieving peace and understanding.

But in the end, it seemed that everything he had done had been for naught, for while the humanity in his world would be able to achieve all of that under the supervision of the clone that he had left behind, the humans in the other worlds would achieve nothing without such guidance.

They were not too different from those of his own world, and possibly even worse in some aspects.

And with such flaws, it would be even harder for them to achieve a mutual understanding, even with his direct help.

That was exactly why he would now give up on them once and for all. They were unworthy of his efforts, and he should not bother himself with them anymore.

It was just as Alduin had previously stated. They were not even worthy of the time that he had wasted while thinking about their pitiful existences.

And yet, despite acknowledging all of this, that feeling of losing his purpose in life still lingered to his soul.

"That may be true, Alduin, but it does not change the fact that right now, I'm feeling lost and without any purpose..."

The young man's voice was carried by the still blowing winds as he once again gazed at the destruction that he had so easily caused only minutes ago.

It might have been done out of wrath, though it was simply the result of mankind forcing his hand beyond the point where even he could no longer hold back.

It was the straw that had finally broken the weary camel's back.

What he had brought forth had been a necessary punishment for the foolish humans in order to show them that there was indeed a limit for their mindless behavior.

Though, despite the sadness that he still felt, it seemed to slowly be ebbing away alongside any and all of his other remaining concerns for humanity.

The young man's musings were once again interrupted by Alduin when it spoke in its deep voice.

"Wouldn't it be better for father if he were to see a more familiar place right now?" the creature asked is a low hiss. "Maybe if father were to return to his arrival place, then he would be more at ease with the familiar surroundings. That way it should be easier for father to find another purpose in life."

Having heard his creation's advice, the young man could not help but smile faintly. It seemed that Alduin always knew what to say in order to get him out of his funk.

"Perhaps you are right, Alduin" he replied as he began focusing his chakra.

Not even a second later, the air in front of him split open, and the young man walked inside the inky black darkness of the newly created portal in the fabric of space-time.

After he completely disappeared inside its dark recesses, the portal instantly closed itself shut, leaving behind no trace of the young man's previous existence, with the only exception being the faint ripples caused by his footsteps on the surface of the water.

##

 **2005/05/10 16:05 [Sakurami City]**

Within the darkened recesses of a rather familiar looking alley, a rupture in the fabric of space suddenly manifested.

From the pitch-black insides of the ominous looking portal, a silver haired young man with exquisite features and mesmerizing pale eyes slowly stepped out.

He walked through the shadows enshrouding the alleyway, paying no mind to either the portal behind him closing or to his surroundings as he seemed to be lost deep within his thoughts.

His aimless treading eventually brought him close to the exit of the alley, and just as he was about to take a step even closer to the shining brightness of the midday sun, the young man was forced to a stop when a figure sashayed in from of him, seemingly blocking his path.

"Hey there, handsome. Are you interested in doing something _fun_ ~?"

A sweet and seductive voice snapped the young man out of his deep musings, prompting him to regard the human that had interrupted his walk.

It was a rather pleasantly looking female that appeared to be in her early twenties, with waist-long ebony hair and matching eyes that held a distinctive gleam to them, as well as a playful smile that was showing on her supple lips.

Her attire consisted of a black colored leather jacket that barely covered her well-endowed and enticing chest and a matching in color leather skirt that didn't do very much when it came to hiding her alluring thighs and legs.

However, none of these seemed to matter to the young man who stood only a few inches away from her, so close that he could smell the saccharine fragrance of her perfume.

The cold gaze that was subsequently directed by him as a response to the young woman's previous question should have served as a sort of warning for her.

Unfortunately, the dark haired woman was not able to catch on to the true meaning of the openly displayed contempt which had briefly been reflected within those pale eyes that seemed to be peering straight into her soul.

Thus, she had simply assumed that the young man had not found her previous attempt charming enough in order to accept her services.

Feeling as though her pride had been challenged, the young woman chased after the white haired young man who had already resumed his previous walking.

She managed to catch up to him before he completely exited the alleyway and placed her slender hand on his shoulder, interrupting him once more.

"Playing hard to get, are we?" the woman whispered seductively in his ear as she leaned in closer, pressing her voluptuous chest against his back. "How about this. Since I like your type so much and you are also incredibly handsome, I'll make you a nice discount. We can even go to my place and spend a quality afternoon together. So, what do you sa—"

She did not manage to finish her sentence as she suddenly felt something heavy hit her, sending her careening through the air at high velocity, before the world subsequently turned dark for her the moment she impacted against the solid wall behind her.

A rather loud crack was heard in the not-so-far distance, although the silver haired young man did not seem to acknowledge it and simply continued walking.

If he were to actually turn his head a little and look behind him, then he might have noticed the slight indentation in the concrete wall, as well as the rather large splatter of blood which accompanied the half squashed body of the dark haired woman, who was now lying in a barely recognizable heap crumpled on the cold asphalt.

But the young man did not seem to bother with anything of the sort, and just lowered his previously extended right hand as he slowly proceeded to fix his slightly ruffled jacket.

"Unsightly."

That was the sole word that left his mouth as he stepped out of the enshrouding darkness of the alleyway, briefly wondering if these humans could be even more pathetic.

They did not even possess enough self-esteem, nor much worth for their own selves, and they were so easily willing to defile their own bodies and souls by tainting themselves with hedonistic filth.

He immediately dismissed that train of thought, since he quickly remembered how he had resolved to no longer care about whatever these wretched creatures did, and simply continued his aimless walk down the crowded street, wondering whether or not he would truly find something that could fill the emptiness which was now occupying a good part of his being.

He walked for a few minutes, his thoughts once more spiraling down into depressing territories as he couldn't stop himself from questioning the current lack of a purpose in his eternal existence, though he was once again snapped out of them upon hearing a series of jubilant giggles coming from his left.

The young man slowly turned his head and took in the image of a huge crowd of children happily walking down the walkway across the street like a buzzing colony of little energetic insects.

He could not help but frown in disgust at this imagery which only displayed their ignorance and naïveté towards the reality they lived in.

Sighing in disappointment, the silver haired young man was about to return his gaze from this sad picture of human foolishness and once again immerse himself in his previous contemplation.

However, just as he was slowly swerving his head, his eyes briefly caught the sight of something truly unexpected, and a miasma of depression induced by futility as well as a fleeting sense of life suddenly washed over his senses.

The young man's captivated gaze was instantly locked on this irregularity within the now deemed insignificant crowd of human offsprings as he tried to understand why such an abnormality existed among them.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN:**

 **From now on, I'll reply to the reviews (mostly those of the guests, since I can't PM them) at the end of the chapter, because it is much more practical.**

 **I know that not many of you like to read lengthy author notes before the chapter itself, so I'll put them after the chapter instead.**

 **And with that being said, see you all in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

###

 **Chapter 2: Trial of Yuno**

When the young man's gaze finally focused on the little anomaly within the crowd of human children, the first thing that he noticed was the unusual color of the girl's hair.

It resembled cotton candy to such a degree that it was bordering on the ridiculous, though he knew better than to judge anything based simply on the appearance alone. He was not one to entertain such foolishness.

He calmly observed the girl's deep-frowning face, noticing how it seemed to be in perfect concordance with the constant waves of swirling gloom that were emanating from her being.

Moments later, his pale eyes sought the young girl's own, however, the moment he took in the sight of her dull and hollow cerise orbs, he was instantly taken aback, and his surprise only grew the further he delved within.

The more the young man gazed into her eyes, the more he could feel his interest sparking. There seemed to be something hidden deep within her eyes, something that was invoking a confusing sense of similarity within himself.

And yet, for all this odd feeling of similarity, he couldn't have possibly missed the stark opposition that was slowly gnawing at his mind.

It did not take him very long to realize what exactly this all meant.

This little girl seemed to somehow be experiencing feelings that were bewilderingly similar and at the same time completely opposite to what he had gone through during the past few hours.

Just like him, she seemed to be experiencing the feeling of being lost and without a purpose, however, whereas he was trying to find a new purpose to his eternal life, she seemed to have already given up on everything and had completely accepted her situation.

Another similar yet different aspect of their current emotional state would be the source of their depression.

For both of them it seemed to be the futility of their actions, however, while for her this futility seemed to be stemming from her powerlessness to change the world around her, for him it was the futility of hoping for a change to occur, without him having to use his divine power to make it happen.

It was so confusing and odd, especially for him who had watched his world and its inhabitants for more than a thousand years, to see someone who was so similar and yet so different from himself at the same time.

But this was exactly what seemed to allure him. This stark opposition and yet confusing similarity intrigued him so much that he wanted to learn more about this human who had managed to spark such a level of interest in him.

He might have resolved to no longer care about mankind and their follies, however, ignoring this incredibly rare opportunity would be a huge waste to him. This girl was much too intriguing for the average pitiable human that he had seen during his stay in this world, and he would definitely make sure that such an interesting finding wouldn't be casually passed up by him anytime soon.

Unfortunately, it seemed that his curiosity would have to wait for the time being, for there appeared to be a much more pressing matter that had to be taken care of.

Despite having been so focused on the young girl who had managed to catch his interest to such a degree, the white haired young man had never lowered his awareness of the world beyond a certain point, nor had he forgone the precognitive perception that he normally kept down to a minimum level.

So he had been able to easily perceive the fact that something not exactly favorable was about to occur to his most recent finding.

The young man calmly turned his head in the opposite direction and immediately took notice of the perpetrator that would be responsible for ruining his interesting discovery, if left unchecked.

Further down the road, in the not-so-far distance, a black speeding car suddenly accelerated even more as it seemed to be preparing for an overtake.

Judging by what the young man had previously foreseen, as well as by the estimations that he had just completed, there was only a little above a minute left until the time of impact, so there was no actual need for him to rush.

He once again returned his gaze upon the crowd of children, more specifically the cotton candy haired oddity that had so quickly caught his interest, and decided to wait a little longer as he wondered about what her reaction to this incident would be.

Several moments had passed in silence, before the young man's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Alduin's deep and raspy voice, who still sounded the same despite having used telepathy in order to communicate with his father.

' _Father...?'_

Although not being asked about it yet, the young man could tell what Alduin was going to say next, its curious tone easily giving away the question that it would pose to him. And even if that were not to be the case, the moment when he had chosen this particular course of action, he knew that at some point Alduin would definitely question the motives behind his decision.

Yet, he couldn't find anything abnormal in this behavior on Alduin's part, as from the moment of its creation, it had always acted with only the best of intentions in its mind whenever it came to matters pertaining to the one whom it considered as being its father.

' _Even after saying that you will not, why are you still caring about these unworthy humans?'_

Just as the young man had previously predicted, Alduin had asked him about the reason for why he was still concerning himself with humans.

A wistful expression formed on the young man's visage upon actually hearing the question.

' _The answer to that is simple, Alduin'_ he replied to his companion using telepathy as well. _'This little human that has made me so curious is definitely far from the pathetic norm that we had seen so far in this world. Which is why I cannot possibly let such an interesting find to pass by, or otherwise, this entire trip would have amounted to nothing but shattered ideals and wasted time.'_

' _I understand, father'_ Alduin immediately spoke in response, an apologetic note discernible in its raspy tone. _'I apologize for questioning your actions without giving them a thorough consideration first.'_

' _No need to apologize, Alduin'_ the young man voiced within his mind. _'It makes me glad to know that you are so concerned about my wellbeing, so rest assured, because you have done nothing wrong.'_

' _Thank you, father'_ the creature spoke once more, to which its creator simply replied with a fond smile, both inwardly and outwardly, prompting a passer-by to give him an odd look.

The young man, however, paid it no mind and instead focused on preventing Alduin from brutally skewering said person for their apparent insolence, and causing a scene in the middle of a very crowded street.

A few moments later, when Alduin seemed to have calmed down, the young man with whitened hair once again returned his gaze upon the cotton candy haired girl, who in the meantime had walked along with the crowd of children further down the street, and quickly realized that he had resumed his observation just in time for the main event.

The black car that had previously been rather far in the distance, was now only a few dozen meters away from the intersection which the group of children also seemed to be approaching.

However, the young man did not look like he would concern himself anymore with the whereabouts of the dark tinted vehicle, for he knew exactly what would transpire in the next few seconds.

Instead, he continued to observe the young girl as she moved listlessly along the sidewalk, his unusual eyes now looking even more distinct, with slightly enlarged and featureless white irides and no longer any visible pupils.

His Byakugan was the perfect dōjutsu for situations such as this, where the clarity of the observation had to be of the highest degree.

The shrill sound of a car horn in the distance told the young man that the estimated time of the impact would be soon approaching zero, and with his now all-seeing white eyes he would inadvertently also keep watch on the speeding vehicle, even if he was currently focusing on his observation of the cotton candy haired girl.

Not even a second after the car horn had been heard, the young man saw how that black vehicle had managed to cut in front of another one, which was now behind it.

However, by doing so it had also cut off another car which had been attempting to make a turn in the intersection.

The driver of the black vehicle had managed to quickly pull the wheel in order to avoid hitting the other car, but unfortunately for him, that would actually lead to an even greater accident.

Because of the turning car's abrupt stop, part of the road was obstructed, and as such the driver of another incoming car, red in color, had to quickly maneuver his vehicle from crashing into it.

Despite both drivers frantically trying to regain control of their cars, it all seemed to be in vain, as the sudden sharp turns coupled with the too high speed made it impossible for the vehicles to stop even with their brakes stomped to the very limit.

A sharp screech was the only warning that the crowd of children had received, before the black speeding car quickly entered the sidewalk and swept through their midst, running over those whom had been unfortunate enough to stand in its path, before it finally hit a wall and stopped dead in its tracks.

The momentary state of shock instilled by this horrific accident seemed to last for only a few seconds, and as soon as most of the onlookers regained their bearings, chaos instantly erupted all around the scene of the accident.

Some of the children let out a chorus of high-pitched screams as they scurried as far as possible from the fuming car that was partially flattened against the stone wall it had previously hit, while the rest of them also followed in their steps as soon as their self-preservation instincts had finally kicked into high gear.

Only one of them seemed to be acting in a completely opposite manner to what it would have normally been expected in such a situation.

Featureless white eyes observed with no small amount of curiosity what appeared to be an epitome of calmness and composure that heavily contrasted with the currently chaotic scene of the car accident.

The young man felt his interest grow even more when he noticed how the cotton candy haired girl did not appear to be perturbed whatsoever by the black smoking car that was crashed into a wall only a few feet away from her.

She simply continued with her spiritless walk, her dull cerise eyes staring emptily ahead of herself as her lithe frame slowly advanced further down the street at a constant, almost robotic pace.

Even the red tinted car that was approaching her position at a frightening speed did not seem to terrify her.

The young girl merely tilted her head a little as she glanced at the incoming vehicle, and her features slowly settled in an odd little smile, before she ceased all of her movements as she remained rooted in place.

Instead of attempting to flee from certain death, the young girl seemed to be staring down the approaching car, her peculiar smile never leaving her beautiful face.

The snow haired young man once again felt his interest spike at this unusual behavior on the girl's part, however, he had to set his curiosity aside for the time being, for right now it was almost the time for him to finally act.

He would have all the time in the world to do whatever he wished with that little human after he made sure that her life was no longer in mortal danger, so he could easily reign in his curiosity for a minute or two.

One moment later, and only a few meters were everything that separated the cotton candy haired girl from what appeared to be her impending death, and yet, her composure still did not seem to falter.

Not even one tiny bit.

Instead of attempting a last second evade, she simply closed her eyes in what looked like acceptance, and stood there unmoving as if she was waiting for everything to be finally over.

Another second of elapsed time, and the speeding vehicle was only inches away from brutally ending her life.

Several dozen feet away from the young girl's position, the white haired young man who had been bidding his time so far, finally decided to take action.

Unseen to the untrained eyes of everyone around him, the concrete slightly cracked beneath his feet when he instantly vanished from his spot in an awing display of pure speed.

It took him less than a split second to cover the distance between himself and the rose haired girl, and from the looks of it, his timing had also been spot on, because he had gotten a hold of her just the moment before the car would have ran her over.

As soon as the girl was safely secured in his arms, the young man dashed away from the car's path at moderate speed, before stopping when he had gotten far enough from the scene of the accident.

He also didn't seem to be concerned by his previous display of inhuman speed, because the current chaos produced by the first accident had perfectly masked his actions.

Most of the people had either been too busy admiring the fine art of half a body splattered on a stone wall, or sitting around without doing anything as though the were in a trance. Only a small handful of people had actually bothered with trying to somehow help the injured or with calling the emergency line.

And now, that another car had just joined the collection on the stone wall, the chaos had once again started anew, providing even more cover for his previous actions.

Having quickly decided that nothing else besides the cotton candy haired girl that he was currently holding in his arms mattered to him for the time being, the young man deactivated his dōjutsu, prompting his eyes to return to their usual appearance.

Pale eyes once again gazed into unfocused cerise ones as the young man with snow-white tresses slowly lowered the girl within his arms back onto the ground, all the while observing her confused expression with slight amusement.

The rose haired girl maintained her confused face for several moments as she seemed to be trying to regain her composure, as well as process what had just happened during the past minute.

It didn't take her very long to realize what had happened to her and as soon as she comprehended her current situation, she immediately looked around for the one who had saved her from being ran over by that car.

Fortunately, she didn't have to search much, for she had quickly found him to be standing right beside her, however, the moment her gaze rested upon his face, she seemed to be instantly entranced by his ethereal features.

The young man merely smiled in amusement at the girl's reaction and continued to observe her for a little longer.

A few moments later, when he finally decided to speak, the young girl was quickly brought out of her reverie by his melodious voice.

"Tell me, girl, why were you so willing to embrace death, when you could have easily avoided it?"

The rose haired girl seemed to be a little taken-aback by this question.

She was definitely not expecting such an inquiry to be the first thing that her savior asked her, though as soon as the initial surprise had faded, and the true meaning of those words finally sank into her mind, the thick miasma of depression that had been previously surrounding her became even more intense.

The young man seemed to pick up on this sudden change and slowly raised a curious, nonexistent eyebrow at her, as though beckoning her to speak.

Seeing such an inquisitive expression adorning the young man's visage, the girl suddenly felt strangely self-conscious, which prompted her to slightly lower her gaze as she was about to reply to his previous question.

"I am only human, after all" she spoke, her voice barely coming as something above a whisper.

The moment her response registered in the young man's mind, for the first time in many months, genuine laughter escaped his lips.

The sheer irony of those words made it impossible for him to do anything but laugh.

And laugh he did.

For a full minute he laughed continuously, all the while wondering how was it possible for a little human such as this girl to somehow manage to understand human fallibility, when he who held a library of memories and knowledge that spanned over millennia had acted in such a naïve manner until only a few hours ago.

In the meanwhile, the rose haired girl was starting to feel rather embarrassed as she watched her savior express such mirth, thinking that perhaps she had made a fool of herself with the answer that she had given to his question.

However, most of her embarrassment quickly faded after she had listened to the young man's soft and melodious laughter for a few seconds.

It was such a strange experience that if she had to describe it with a word, then she would probably choose otherworldly.

Eventually, the young man had managed to regain his composure, moment when he gazed once more at the girl standing next to him, and noticed how her mouth slightly parted itself open as she was most likely on the verge of inquiring about his previous display of mirth.

Before she could do so, however, he quickly intercepted her with one of his alabaster fingers that he had gently placed on her lips, promptly succeeding in sealing them shut.

He did not seem to pay any mind to the dusty red coloring that was quickly spreading over the girl's peach colored cheeks, and instead met her gaze with his own as he gave her a small and mysterious smile.

"We shall meet again soon, but for now, this is a farewell" he spoke in a whimsical tone, before he turned around and began to walk away from the currently stunned rose haired girl, who for the better part of the next minute remained rooted in her spot as though she was trying to impersonate a statue.

By the time the young girl had regained her bearing, the young man with snow hair had already disappeared from her sight, leaving her with the still lingering touch of his finger upon her lips, as well as with a pleasant warmth that had yet to leave her chest.

###

After taking his sudden and mysterious leave, the young man with whitened hair walked on the crowded street for a few more blocks, before he eventually entered a dark and deserted alleyway.

He took several steps until the shadows completely enveloped his form and then he stopped moving as he glanced at his left hand.

"Alduin, there is something that I need you to do" the young man addressed the pitch black creature that was currently assuming the form of a glove on his left hand.

A pair of sickly yellow eyes and a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth immediately appeared on the back of the young man's glove.

"Yes, father?" Alduin's raspy and deep voice soon came in response. "What is it that you need me to do?"

"I want you to observe that young girl from before and inform me of your findings in one week from now."

"Of course, father" the creature immediately replied. "But where is father going that he has to leave for so long?"

"I need some time to contemplate on everything that had transpired during these past several hours, so I shall be going to the Genesis dimension and meditate there for a few days" the young man explained in an even tone. "However, I would also like to know what happens with that intriguing little human, which is why I need you to observe her until I am finished."

"I understand, father" Alduin spoke as it slowly detached itself from its father's alabaster hand, before falling onto the ground where it assumed a featureless humanoid shape. "I will do as you wish."

"Good" the young man voiced, a pitch black rift opening in front him a moment later.

Before entering the fissure between dimensions, he glanced at the black humanoid-like creature standing to his left and addressed it one last time.

"If possible, try not to reveal your true form to anyone and also try to remain as inconspicuous as possible" he spoke. "I do not wish for needless complications to arise."

"Understood, father" Alduin quickly replied as it watched its creator take a step inside the void of the portal.

As soon as the silhouette of the young man completely disappeared from view, the space-time fissure immediately closed itself shut.

Moments later, the black mass that made up the entirety of Alduin's body started to seep through the concrete, until nothing of the creature remained above ground anymore.

###

Effortlessly digging its way through layers upon layers of gravel and dirt, Alduin traveled hidden from view while scanning the surroundings for any isolated life signatures.

Despite being fully capable of mimicking human movement, it could not do as such, because that would go against its father's wishes. And it would never do such an inconceivable thing.

It was its father's will given physical form, therefore whatever it was that its father wished, it would always see that it was realized. And because this time its father had said that it should not reveal its true form to anyone unless truly necessary, it meant that it had to travel unseen to the eyes of the humans until it found a host to inhabit.

The sentient mass of black ooze continued to move underground at impressive speed and continued with its search.

Despite wanting to begin the task that its father had left in its care as fast as possible, it couldn't just prey upon the nearest human in the vicinity, for its father had also instructed it to remain as unnoticeable as possible. Which meant that it had to take its time and look for a target that was not in close proximity to other humans.

A few more moments passed, before Alduin suddenly changed direction and started heading upwards.

###

In spite of the recent and rather drastic changes in his life, James Cromwell was content with it so far.

He had just arrived in Japan after being offered the position of lecturer in social anthropology at the Sakurami University, and was currently resting himself after a long and exhausting trip.

Right now, he was in his hotel room, sitting comfortably on a white leather couch as he browsed through the various channels of the television.

Suddenly, his attention was brought to his cellphone when it started to buzz.

He picked the black colored device up from the table next to the couch and glanced at the incoming call.

As soon as he saw the caller's name, a deep frown quickly settled on his brow.

 _Angela Cromwell_ it read.

Without giving it much thought, James rejected the call and then turned off his phone.

He really didn't feel like listening to his ex-wife's prattle. Not when all she ever said was alimony and the occasional snide remark.

She had already been given the custody of their two daughters after winning it over during the divorce, and now she was already demanding him the money.

"What a bitch..." James muttered sourly as he went to the bathroom to splash some water over his face in order to cool himself down.

It was no use getting worked up over the complaints of that woman, so he tried to stop thinking about her.

"If it wasn't for her getting the girls, I would have made sure that she was left penniless for all the crap she had put me through during all these years" he muttered as he was once again reminded of that woman.

Despite not being like this from the beginning, his former wife had started to change during the past few years, ever since the moment he had decided to pursue a career as a specialist in social anthropology.

She had believed that he was neglecting her and their daughters for his work, and as such began resenting him for this.

In the end, she had forced him to make a choice, and after he had told her that he wouldn't give up on everything that he had worked for until that point, she had decided to issue a divorce.

James turned off the water and then looked at the mirror above the sink.

Forest green eyes with prominent bags underneath them gazed back, and the visibly tired man combed a hand through his brown hair, before grabbing a towel and wiping the droplets of water from his slightly pale face.

He knew that he should be taking care of himself a little better, but his passion for his field of work was often keeping him up until late at night. And even if he was only in his early thirties, he was aware that his youth wouldn't be lasting forever, which was exactly why he had to be more careful about his health.

Putting the towel back in its place, James left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen.

He stopped in front of the fridge and opened it, taking out a single bottle that contained a caramel colored liquid inside.

The brown haired man poured himself a glass of brandy and quickly downed the liquor, relishing in the burning sensation that melted away whatever anger he might have still had left.

James released a sigh and poured himself another glass.

He might have been okay with his divorce, but he regretted losing the custody of his girls and having to leave them with that annoying woman that apparently could no longer even stand seeing his face anymore.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything much that he could do now, except for regularly sending the girls money to support them. He didn't need to be reminded by his ex-wife to send them money. He would always do it because he loved the two of them dearly.

James placed the half empty bottle of expensive alcohol back into the fridge and returned to the living room with his refilled glass in hand.

He seated himself back on the couch and placed the glass on the small table next to him, before returning to his previous activity of watching television.

Eventually, his lack of sleep got the better of him and he soon fell asleep on the comforting softness of the expensive couch.

However, only a few minutes into his rest, and the brown haired middle-aged man was suddenly woken up when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

His eyes wide, James looked in shock at the black gooey hand whose fingers were currently digging through his white shirt and into his stomach. Oddly enough, there seemed to be no blood present, however, the brown haired man didn't have the time to muse on such things.

He quickly tried to grab the pitch-black appendage that was digging in his skin, but he soon realized that he couldn't move a single muscle, and his previous shock instantly turned into horror, which only grew in intensity the moment he noticed something akin to a head with two sickly yellow eyes and a jagged grin form out of the black mass that was slowly covering his body.

He tried to scream, but with his body currently paralyzed, it was a futile attempt. And so, left with no other options, James could only resign to his fate and watch in terror as the ooze-like creature slowly covered his entire body.

Moments later, James Cromwell finally lost consciousness, his last thoughts being about his two daughters, and their beautiful smiles that he would never be able to see anymore.

###

The moment he finished coating the entire body of his chosen target, Alduin quickly took over his newly acquired host and began accessing the human's memories.

The parasitic creature ignored any memories that seemed irrelevant to its assigned task, and quickly assimilated the rest.

A few minutes passed, before the body of the human covered in a black gooey substance suddenly spoke, the voice coming from its mouth being completely different from its original one.

"This will do" Alduin spoke in its usual deep and raspy tone as it finally seemed to be done integrating the human's memories. "Human formerly known as James Cromwell, you should feel honored, for your body will now contribute to the fulfillment of father's wish."

And with that, all of the black mass that was previously covering the man's body quickly began seeping into his skin, until no previous indication of the black ooze-like entity could be seen.

Moments later, a pair of forest green eyes snapped open and a grin slowly spread over the middle-aged man's features as he spoke in what seemed to be his normal voice.

"A perfect fit" Alduin muttered in a pleased tone as it inspected the body that it had just hijacked, making sure that it properly responded to its commands. "And now to find that little girl..."

Following these words, the body which had previously belonged to one James Cromwell began changing its current attire, replacing it with something considered more proper and less eye-catching than a white shirt with holes in it.

When James was done clothing himself, he went and grabbed all of his belongings, before he finally left the hotel room as he headed toward the elevator across the hallway.

###

 **2005/05/12 22:00 [Gasai Residence]**

Only two days had passed ever since Yuno had last seen the white haired young man who had saved her life moments before they had actually met, however, for her it had felt as though a much longer time had passed.

The rose haired girl was currently in her room, lying down on her bed as she absentmindedly gazed at the dark ceiling, her mind being in a completely different place than her body.

She was reminiscing about her meeting with that mysterious young man, and how he had suddenly taken his leave after only a brief and rather strange conversation, which had left her with more questions than answers.

On that day she had been completely resigned to her bitter fate and she wouldn't have actually cared even if her life ended. Living a life that no longer held any meaning, and simply waiting for the days to come and pass would have been much more painful to her than dying.

She might have been afraid of this macabre possibility a month ago, because of her most recent and very close experience involving it at the hands of starving, however, she had soon come to realize that death could come in many assortments and flavors, with some of them not involving any pain or suffering whatsoever.

Which was exactly why she had been willing to relinquish the hold on her pointless life at that time, all the while staring down that approaching car with nothing but a small, mocking smile.

Only a few seconds and everything would have been over.

At that speed, the pain would have only lasted for a mere second, and then everything would have finally been over.

No agony. No suffering. No nothing.

But instead of that, something else had happened. Something truly unexpected. And in spite of her confusion at that time, she had quickly come to realize that someone had saved her from being ran over by that speeding car.

A surge of embarrassment quickly washed over Yuno when she recalled a particular memory from that time, prompting her to cover her flushed face with her white pillow.

She still couldn't believe how she had acted after seeing the face of her savior for the first time.

She had stared at his face as if in a trance, until he had finally brought her back to the real world. In a rather unpleasant way if she might add.

Just after she had finally forgotten for a brief moment about her hopeless future, that young man had decided to ask his odd and seemingly out of context question.

Yet, she knew that he wasn't at fault, because such a question had been perfectly pertinent in that situation. And he couldn't have possibly known that it would bring her back such unpleasant memories.

But after she had given him her answer, she had once again been faced with embarrassment when the young man had started laughing with such mirth that she had been left speechless for a moment.

However, it had all faded when she had realized just how otherworldly his laugh had felt. She had never heard such a melodious laughter in her life, and just as she had tried to inquire him about it, she had once more been left speechless, as well as stunned.

Yuno suddenly rolled over on her side and hugged the pillow in her arms close to her chest as she was rather vividly reminded of how her meeting with that strange young man had ended.

She could still feel his finger on her lips if she closed her eyes and focused on that memory. And if she kept on doing that for long enough, a similar warmth to what she had felt at that time would also blossom in her chest.

The rose haired girl released a dreamy sigh as she once again replayed that particular scene in her mind's eye, all the while hugging her pillow even tighter and bringing it closer to her chest.

During these past two days all that she had been able to think about had been that mysterious young man and their fateful meeting.

Even her dead parents had no longer plagued her thoughts.

Instead of the morbid images of two decaying bodies inside a small cage, images of a handsome young man with snow-white hair had been occupying Yuno's mind for some time now.

Not even her lack of a future seemed to be bothering her for the time being.

Though, despite all of that, Yuno couldn't help but still feel a longing in her heart.

She might have been fine with just the memories of that young man for the past two days, but she knew that soon enough, only simple memories would no longer suffice, and she would want to see him in person once more.

He might have told her that they would be meeting again soon, but who knew how long that could be. She didn't know if she would be able to wait for more than a few days without spiraling into depression once again.

Shaking her head in order to drive away any thoughts that were even remotely unhappy, Yuno grabbed her cellphone from the small nightstand next to her bed and flipped it open, her slender fingers beginning to tap on the keypad in rapid succession.

It was decided.

Until the time of their next meeting, she would try to keep herself occupied with a diary of sorts. Writing about her mysterious white haired savior should keep her mind distracted from any overly depressing thoughts.

With her lips slowly settling in a small smile, Yuno continued to write in her newly created cellphone diary as she imagined the future meeting between her and the one who had taken so much presence among her thoughts after only two days.

###

 **2005/05/13 10:30 [Sakurami Middle School]**

It took Alduin roughly two days to completely adapt to the environment that its mission objective was living in, but now that it had managed to get over with the minor details, it could finally begin its real mission.

Under its recently acquired guise, the body of one James Cromwell, Alduin walked at a leisure pace along the hallway of the building in which its charge seemed to be spending most of her time.

After hijacking its current host body, Alduin had managed to locate its target for surveillance rather quickly, as her life force signature had been memorized from the moment its father had deemed her _interesting_.

However, even if the physical manifestation of will knew the human girl's whereabouts, it couldn't immediately begin its observations, because as per its father's orders, it had to maintain utmost inconspicuousness. And using the body of a foreign middle-aged man to keep watch on a teenage girl wasn't exactly inconspicuous.

So, during the past two days it had first made sure that he learned of the girl's commonly frequented places and then infiltrated said places in order to begin monitoring her.

It had found out that the human girl named Gasai Yuno was daily attending a public institution for educational purposes.

With that piece of information in its possession, Alduin had quickly begun worming its way inside the same institution, attempting to infiltrate its premises under the guise of a teacher. And since its recently obtained vessel had been overly qualified in the domain of social studies, it only required a little _persuasion_ on the creature's part, just so that it could speed up the process and make sure that everything went smoothly.

After climbing down a set of stairs and reaching the floor below, the body of James Cromwell took a few more steps, before it finally stopped in front of a closed door that had a rectangular black sign next to its frame.

 _1–B_

Reading the inscription painted in white on the small sign, 'James' slid the door open and promptly entered the classroom.

He quickly scanned the classroom and implicitly its occupants, noting that they were currently looking at him with curious expressions as they had probably been expecting someone else to enter in his stead.

The brown haired man walked toward the teacher's desk that was placed several feet in front of the blackboard, before seating himself at his desk and glancing at the slightly confused students.

"Good morning, class" 'James' addressed the students taking in each of their faces while seemingly looking for a particular one amidst them. "Starting from today and lasting until the end of this week, I shall be filling in for Mr. Watanabe, since he has had a rather unfortunate accident and is currently on a medical leave, recovering."

The substitute teacher had to resist the urge to smirk when he noticed how almost immediately most of the students developed looks of realization and understanding on their faces.

In 'James'' mind, it was almost too easy to manipulate these weak humans, with both their frail bodies and minds.

One misstep while climbing down some stairs could easily lead to a sprained ankle when it came to these humans, and one subtle influencing thought planted in their feeble minds could just as easily get these humans to take a wrong step while climbing down some stairs.

It was almost laughable how easy it had been to bring all of the pieces in the exact positions that he had wanted them to be. Even playing a game of shogi with one of these humans would have most likely been more of a challenge to him.

All that 'James' had had to do in order to infiltrate this place was to take a fool out of the equation, then flash a fancy degree in front of another fool, and finally, use some more mind influencing to speed up his encroachment, as well as to make sure that nothing else could deter his plan.

Finishing his current train of thought, the brown haired man decided that it was time for him to start his class. There were some appearances that needed to be maintained in order for his plan to unfold without any hitches, so he would have to act accordingly to his chosen guise.

'James' stood up from his chair and took a few steps until he was right next to the blackboard. He picked up a piece of chalk and then turned to face the students.

"The third period shall begin now" he spoke, his forest green eyes lingering for a while on the familiar sight of a cotton candy haired girl, before he once again took in the entire image of the classroom.

The students immediately started retrieving their books and notebooks from their bags, however, they were soon interrupted by the slightly amused sounding voice of their teacher.

"You won't be needing any of those for today" 'James' spoke with a dismissive wave of his hand, obviously referring to the already open books and notebooks that some students had on their desks. "Today I have something different in mind for all of you" his eyes once again flickered briefly over the rose haired girl's frame. "Something that will help me get a better understanding of each one of you."

In response to their teacher's rather unusual announcement, almost every student directed a questioning gaze toward the brown haired man as they seemingly waited for further clarifications.

"You must be wondering about the subject of today's class, correct?" 'James' asked as he looked at the students. "Well, for today I have prepared a sort of test for you."

As soon as the word 'test' had been uttered, many of the students blanched while others groaned and had dejected looks on their faces. Only a short few maintained their normal expressions, one of them being a certain cotton candy haired girl who seemed to be patiently waiting for the teacher to continue.

"Now, now, whoever said that I would be giving you one of _those_ tests?" the middle-aged man spoke with a hint of amusement in his tone. "What I have in mind is going to be quite different from what you might be used to. So rest assured, for today's assignment won't be affecting you grades. It is just a little something that will help me choose the best approach for our future classes."

Those who had been previously on the verge of despair had immediately recovered the moment they had heard their teacher's explanation and adopted a more relaxed posture at their desks as their previous tension had left them.

During the time when most of the students had been busy getting their wits back together, 'James' had been observing them with a neutral expression on his face as he seemed to be once again musing about something.

It had managed to derive some amusement from messing around a little with these children, however, regardless of how entertaining it might be to have fun at others' expenses, it had come here with a clear purpose in mind.

The task that its father had left to it took precedence over everything else, and it knew it all too well. It could never imagine forgoing its father's will in favor of its personal enjoyment, because after all, realizing its father's will would always be its greatest enjoyment.

Still, that didn't mean it couldn't sneak in one or two laughs along the way.

If it saw the opportunity to amuse itself without detracting from its father's wish, then it would gladly do so. Especially when these humans seemed to be so good at providing entertainment.

Realizing that he had been absorbed with his thoughts for long enough, the brown haired man set them aside for the time being and faced away from the class as he began writing on the blackboard.

A couple minutes later, and 'James' seemed to be done with whatever he had been writing on the board. He slowly turned around to face the students once again, and moved a little to the side so that the previously written text could be exposed to each and every one of them.

" _Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?_

 _Then he is not omnipotent._

 _Is he able, but not willing?_

 _Then he is malevolent._

 _Is he both able and willing?_

 _Then whence cometh evil?_

 _Is he neither able nor willing?_

 _Then why call him God?"_

– _Epicurus, Ancient Greek Philosopher_

The students gazed at the words written on the board as they tried to take in their meaning, multiple eyebrows raising in question and several brows knitting in either confusion or concentration.

During this time, 'James' was silently observing the class, seemingly amusing himself once again at the students' struggling in order to properly grasp the quote that he had previously written.

Despite its main reason to acquire a host has been the fact that it needed to remain concealed while interacting with other humans, Alduin had also capitalized on the fact that its chosen vessel possessed quite the vast knowledge on his species. And after taking the time to properly assimilate all of it, Alduin had also had an interesting idea for when it would be meeting its charge.

Alduin might have stated previously that its test was aimed at the entire collective of the class, however, in reality only one of them had been present in its mind when it had devised the aforementioned test.

Its father might have tasked him with just observing this Gasai Yuno, however, that didn't mean it couldn't also test her in some aspects.

After all, as the physical manifestation of its father's will, Alduin couldn't possibly allow someone who was a complete ignorant to waste its father's precious time.

Its father might have deemed her interesting enough to observe, however, if she were to turn out to be yet another boring and hopeless human, then it was its job to inform its father of it.

If this human girl was not worthy of its father's attention, then Alduin would make sure that she wouldn't get the chance to cause him more disappointment and grief as her species had continuously done so over the course of a millennium.

The currently possessed brown haired man's musings were interrupted when one of the students in the back row, a boy with short black hair and unremarkable features, had raised a hand and subsequently addressed him.

"Cromwell-sensei, could you please explain to us what we are supposed to do with the quote that you have previously written for us on the board?" the boy voiced out his question, which, if judging by the expressions present on some of the other students' faces, had been a rather collective one.

Upon hearing this, 'James' had to hold in the urge to sigh.

He had thought that the reason had been obvious from the moment he had revealed them the passage, however, it seemed that such was not the case, and that common sense actually eluded a majority of these children.

And yet, after a closer inspection of the classroom, the middle-aged teacher had noticed something rather interesting.

While most of the students appeared to have already given up on the text that was written on the blackboard, a certain rose haired girl was still looking intently at the ancient quote as she seemed to be deep in thought.

' _How interesting'_ 'James' thought as he continued to further study the young girl's expression. _'Perhaps she might be onto something...'_

Remembering that he had just been asked something by that black haired boy who was still looking at him expectantly, the brown haired man had decided to explain once and for all the purpose behind the quote that he had written earlier on the blackboard.

"Alright, class" 'James' addressed the students while gesturing with his left hand toward the text written on the board. "I want each and every one of you to attempt to decipher these words to their utmost depth, and then to try and provide an alternative to their popular interpretation."

As soon as 'James' finished speaking, he started walking toward his mahogany desk and chair, but after only taking a single step, he was once more addressed by that same student.

"Cromwell-sensei, what is the popular interpretation to that quote?" the black haired boy asked, earning several nods from some of his classmates.

This time, 'James' let out an almost inaudible sigh as he seated himself at his desk. "The popular interpretation is the one that each of you would reach if you were to follow your personal religious beliefs" he spoke evenly as he eyed the student who had asked him the question.

That student and the several others which had nodded to his last question let out a chorus of _'aaah'_ or _'oooh'_ sounds, which signaled their newly acquired understanding, before they eventually started working on their assignment, just as their other classmates had done for the past few minutes.

The next ten or so minutes had passed in relative silence, with the only noises made being the occasional yawns of the bored students or the sounds of pen scribbling ideas on paper.

Deciding that nothing else really mattered, 'James' spent most of this time carefully observing the cotton candy haired girl that was his charge as he curiously wondered what her answer would be.

After a few more minutes, the brown haired teacher lightly knocked against his desk with a pen that he had retrieved from his chest pocket, thus grabbing the attention of every student in the classroom.

"Alright, class. Let's see what you have managed to think about until now" he spoke, prompting several of the students to give him looks of apprehension as they most likely hadn't managed to come up with anything relevant to their assigned task.

'James', however, ignored these obvious signs which clearly indicated a lack of interest toward his class and simply focused his attention on a certain someone, whose answer he had wanted to hear ever since a few minutes ago.

The brown haired teacher glanced around the room for a few moments while pretending to randomly choose a student to present their answer, before his forest green eyes finally settled on someone who was sitting in the second row right beside the wall.

Said someone happened to be none other than a young girl with cotton candy hair.

"Miss Gasai, if you would, please tell us your interpretation of the quote" 'James' spoke with discernible amounts of curiosity in his tone.

As soon as she had heard her name being called, the rose haired girl shyly stood up and glanced at her teacher, before promptly replying.

"Insanity, sir, that's what I think."

Whispers immediately flooded the classroom as several of the students sent odd looks her way.

"Silence, class" 'James' immediately raised his voice in warning as he gave the class a rather stern look.

It didn't take long for the silence to be restored, and when that happened, the brown haired teacher once again returned his now inquisitive gaze upon the still standing young girl.

"Please continue."

The rose haired girl needn't be told twice as she immediately continued with her idea.

"I have this theory, sir. My grandfather was 88, and at that age he was starting to become senile," upon hearing this, several of the young girl's classmates chuckled. "And biblical god, sir, has no beginning nor end, so that must indicate that he is synonymous with time itself. And time naturally erodes the mental faculties in mortals, but for immortals I hazard a guess that it erodes passion, into nothing."

By now, the entire class seemed to be listening intently to the rose haired girl's words, however, just as the girl was about to continue after having paused to catch her breath, she was interrupted when the teacher addressed her.

"This is a very intriguing theory, Miss Gasai" the middle-aged man spoke with no small amounts of interest in his tone. "Now, I apologize for having interrupted you, but I would like for you to come up to the front of the classroom and present the rest of your thesis to the entire class."

The cotton candy haired girl quickly made her way next to the teacher's desk and turned to face the rest of the class, before she proceeded with the rest of her speech.

"What I believe, sir, is that God indeed cared once upon a time for humanity, however, was eventually desensitized with the passing of time" she spoke. "After witnessing how humans acted for such a long time, his passion must have slowly dwindled until there had been no more left of it, and as such he had become an apathetic god, one that no longer cared what the humans did in their ignorant foolishness."

Pausing for a moment to draw her breath, the young girl quickly picked up from where she had stopped.

"God might truly be omnipotent, but I believe that he does not wish to use his power for the betterment of humanity, because he knows that he had created humans as a fundamentally flawed species" she finished as she glanced at the brown haired teacher who was seated at his desk a few feet to her left. "That's my theory, sir."

Then she glanced back at her classmates, noting how most of them were looking at her in stunned silence.

She briefly wondered what it had been so shocking in what she had just said that they were acting like this. It wasn't like she had revealed to them some sort of ancient secret, or told them about some long forgotten knowledge.

The girl's thoughts were brought to a halt when she heard the teacher finally address her.

"A most fascinating theory, Miss Gasai" the middle-aged man spoke in an appreciative tone. "However, I would like to ask you one more thing" the man's eyes gained an inquisitive glint as he continued. "How exactly would you say that all of this makes God insane?"

"Amusement, sir" the girl promptly replied. "When one becomes devoid of passion, what will they seek then? To amuse themselves. And to do that they would do anything. Behave erratically for example, and erratic behavior, seemingly without a pattern, is recorded to be a symptom of insanity, which would explain why the Holy Books refer to the 'evils' as a set of trials by God. Their purpose is to disguise the fact that life has no discernible pattern, and in the process allow humans to delude themselves with hope. In the end, it is all a giant ruse on God's part. The ultimate joke."

The rose haired girl paused for a moment as she seemed to be thinking about something.

"As for God's amusement itself, I imagine that the greatest source would be induced from the reactions of billions of sentient creatures to chaos, which would actually translate into a never ending source of entertainment" she glanced at the teacher. "This is all, sir."

Her classmates were still completely silent, and some of them were even looking at her in slight awe.

The teacher, however, was regarding her with a critical eye, before his face eventually adopted an expression of approval as he commended her.

"Most stunning, Miss Gasai! That was a wonderful explanation, and for your efforts today, you shall be given an A."

This revelation seemed to finally bring the rest of the class out of their stupor, prompting them to begin muttering once again, which in turn prompted the middle-aged teacher to have to scold them once more.

"Class, be silent!" he raised his voice once again as he gave the students an admonishing look.

After he had made sure that order had been reestablished for the time being, he glanced back at the cotton candy haired girl, who was still standing in front of the classroom a few feet away from him. "You can go back to your seat now" he told her and watched as the girl returned to her desk and seated herself, before opening a book and beginning to read.

As his forest green eyes moved from the rose haired girl's frame back to the rest of the class, they briefly caught sight of something which quickly caught his attention.

Seated at a desk behind and to the right of the one occupied by his charge was a girl with waist-long maroon hair, who seemed to be currently glaring rather intently at the rose haired girl.

Deciding to ignore this development for the time being, since he didn't possess enough information on it to make a proper judgement, 'James' looked at the rest of the class and addressed them with a discernible edge present in his tone.

"Open your notebooks and write down from your memory what you remember of Miss Gasai's previous speech. If any of you don't have anything written by the end of this period you get an F."

And with that, Alduin ignored any of the sounds of protest that came from several of the students and instead immersed itself in its own thoughts as it replayed in its mind the entirety of the rose haired girl's speech."

Despite not having shown it earlier, even it had been left in a semi-shocked state by her words, since what she had presented was in reality a conjunction of several existing theories, all of it said by a child no less.

Now Alduin could understand why its father had deemed this little human as interesting. For her to come up with such a theory, it meant that she possessed a degree of wisdom that completely belied her age.

Three days ago, she had given its father an answer that had left him laughing at the sheer irony that it denoted, and now, she had done something similar once again.

Not to mention the fact that the irony of her words from today was not lost on Alduin, and it could no longer doubt the girl's worth. All of Alduin's previous skepticism regarding her worth had vanished, and what was left in its place was as clear as day.

This girl... this Gasai Yuno... was no boring human.

No.

She was a very interesting one. One that would definitely not disappoint its father.

And speaking of its father, Alduin found himself slightly torn at what to do right now. After all, he had just obtained a piece of information that should please its father greatly with how important it was when added to his previous assessment of the rose haired girl.

However, Alduin also remembered why its father had departed for the time being, and that was enough to deter it from immediately contacting him to deliver this latest finding on its part.

Alduin knew that its father was most likely deeply immersed in his meditation by now, so it couldn't possibly disturb him.

Plus, the creature clearly remembered how its father had told it to relay all of its finding at the end of the one week period, so it should be fine.

With that last thought in mind, Alduin returned its focus to its host body, and just in time for the class dismissal bell to register in his mind.

Remembering his previous words that he had addressed to the class, 'James' stood up from his chair and walked among the silent students as he checked their notebooks for their assigned task.

Seeing that all of them had taken heed of his words and had at least written a sentence or two in their notebooks, the brown haired man had also kept true to his promise and ended the period without giving any low grades to anyone.

"It seems that this is going to be everything for today" the middle-aged man spoke as he addressed the class. "I shall see all of you tomorrow at our next class. Goodbye, children."

"Goodbye, sensei" the students replied in a chorus as they watched their teacher slowly walk out of the classroom.

Not even a second after the brown haired man had left the premises of the room, most of the students stood up from their desks and went on the hallway as they proceeded to enjoy their break to the fullest.

On her way to the door, a girl with maroon colored hair was joined by two others, one with chin-length brown hair and another with shoulder-length blonde hair, before all three of them exited the classroom.

The trio of girls walked at a leisure pace on the hallway as they were probably headed to the restroom to freshen themselves up.

As they passed by two boys from their class, the girl with maroon hair seemed to freeze for a split second when she heard one of the boys say something, before an angry scowl marred her features.

"Yeah, dude, Gasai was totally cool back then when she spoke in front of the class" one of the boys spoke as he responded to his classmate's previous statement.

"I know right?" the other replied. "But don't you think that she also looked kinda hot while she held her speech?"

The rest of their conversation remained unheard as the trio of girls walked out of range, mainly because of the maroon haired girl, who might have snapped if she were to have listened to any more of it.

"That damned bitch... just who does she think she is?!" the girl with maroon colored hair hissed angrily through clenched teeth as a look of anger crossed her admittedly attractive face.

"You're right, Ruri" the one with blonde hair replied as she tried to console her friend. "That Gasai thinks too highly of herself."

"Yeah. Just look at how she acted after the teacher had sent her back to her seat" the brunette one added. "She didn't even seem to care that we had to work our assess off just to remember her stupid talk, so that we wouldn't be getting an F."

"Yeah, that's right, Sachi" the blonde haired girl spoke. "Also, I don't see what's so special about her that so many boys drool at her sight like she's some sort of model."

"Yeah, me neither, Aki" the girl named Sachi replied, before she glanced at both of her classmates that were walking next to her as an idea seemed to have struck her mind. "Hey, girls, what do you say about visiting the boys after we're done here?"

"Sure" Aki immediately agreed. "I wanted to see Hiro anyway."

"Fine" the maroon haired girl also agreed after giving the idea some thought. "Maybe spending some time with Kenta will help me get that bitch completely off my mind."

"Say, Ruri, how far have you and Kenta gone?" the girl with blonde hair asked in a curious tone and with a seemingly innocent smile. "Have you two reached third base yet?"

The rest of their talk became inaudible as the trio of girls had already entered the restroom by the time the maroon haired girl had given her reply.

However, it didn't matter whether the rest of their conversation would have been heard or not, for its most important part had already been registered by someone who neither of the girls had realized to be listening in on them.

Completely hidden behind the corner that led to the staircase, a brown haired man had been standing the whole time as he had carefully listened to the conversation being held only a few meters away from him.

Despite it being rather hard for a person to distinguish the words that the three girls had exchanged between each of them, the one who had eavesdropped to their conversation hadn't been a normal person by any stretch.

If not because of other considerations, then at least due to the rather impressive variety of abilities under his possession; abilities which effectively made any situation that involved information gathering nothing more than a child's play to him.

Realizing that he wouldn't be getting any other relevant information from those girls, the middle-aged man stopped listening in on them and mentally reviewed what he had just learnt from their discussion.

Although not requiring immediate attention from him, depending on how the implications of their future actions affected his charge, his involvement might be eventually needed if things were to ever escalate beyond a certain point.

"It seems that I might actually need to keep an eye on them" the brown haired man muttered to himself as he went down the stairs, his destination most likely being the teacher's lounge. "It wouldn't do for them to interfere with father's will."

###

 **Later that day...**

Yuno was currently busy packing up her various school utensils as she was preparing to leave for her home after the class dismissal bell had signaled the end of the last period.

Just as she was about to pick up her bag, she was however interrupted when a classmate of hers, a girl with shoulder length ebony hair and doe-like dark brown eyes, approached her.

"Hey, Yuno-tan!" the girl greeted with a cheery smile as she stopped next to Yuno's desk. "Got a minute?"

The rose haired girl eyed the bubbly girl that stood to her right for a second, wondering what could it be that she wanted from her, before she put on her usual façade, a slightly shy yet polite smile as she replied.

"Sure, Keiko-san. What is it?"

Upon hearing Yuno's words, an expression of slight exasperation crossed the dark haired girl's face, however, that seemed to last only for a moment, since her previous cheerful smile quickly returned when she spoke next.

"It's Keiko, Yuno-tan. Just Keiko" the girl corrected. "Just how many times do I have to tell you this? We are friends, so you don't have to use any of those fancy honorifics" the girl paused for a moment as a particular thought seemed to cross her mind. "But if you still want to use one, then you could call me Keiko-tan instead!~ Or if you prefer, you could call me Kei-tan—"

Toning her inane muttering down for the time being, Yuno kept looking at her beaming classmate with her polite smile still present on her face, however, on the inside, the cotton candy haired girl felt like sighing in mild irritation. This girl was exactly what she didn't need right now.

What she had wanted was a quiet afternoon for her to maintain some peace of mind as she slowly made her way home, with no disturbances to interrupt her many thoughts that revolved around a certain snow haired young man.

Instead she got a possible headache in the form of one Fujiwara Keiko, a classmate of hers that she had been acquainted with after being paired with her during the sports class a month ago.

Ever since that time, the dark haired girl would always request their P.E teacher to pair the two of them together during the class.

Though, that in itself wasn't exactly a problem, since the cheerful girl was the second best at sports in their class, which meant that she didn't have to deal with any hindrances during their exercises.

However, as a result to these constant interactions, that girl had somehow gotten the impression that the two of them were friends, when in reality, Yuno could not even care about her at all. Which, of course, resulted in situations when that bubbly girl would appear out of the blue and start pestering her with various trivialities.

If it weren't for the fact that the rose haired girl had to maintain a façade during her time at school, then she would have started ignoring that girl a long time ago.

But alas, she couldn't do that, because it would definitely raise some suspicious flags if the number one student and highly popular Gasai Yuno were to suddenly start acting like a total opposite to the image that she had constructed from her first day at this school.

Putting aside her recent thoughts, Yuno returned her attention to her still muttering classmate, before she spoke with well practiced politeness.

"Alright, Keiko, but what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

At this, the girl named Keiko immediately gained an excited glint in her dark brown eyes as she looked at her friend with barely contained enthusiasm.

"Well, Yuno-tan" the girl paused for apparently no reason other than adding some dramatic flair to her next words. "My sister, Kana, is getting married this Friday, and I wanted to ask you to come too" she paused again, however, this time she seemed to be genuinely considering something. "I know that your parents are super strict on the curfew and other similar stuff, but I'm sure that my mom can talk to yours and get her permission. So, what do you say, Yuno-tan? You're coming, right?"

As soon as the rose haired girl had completely took in the cheerful girl's words, the urge to allow a deep frown to mar her beautiful features almost overcame her.

Not only did this girl disturb her supposedly peaceful afternoon, but she had also reminded her of the two rotting corpses in her home that were her late parents.

And what was that part about her mother calling?

It appeared that this girl even had the audacity to stick her nose in business that pertained solely to her own family. Or whatever was left of it anyway.

Managing to keep her composure and implicitly her façade, Yuno was about to politely refuse the nosy girl's invitation, however, just before she could open her mouth to utter the words, the cotton candy haired girl quickly stopped when a particular thought entered her mind.

She could actually use this situation in her favor and also possibly benefit from it in the long run. But that, of course, if her suspicions were correct, because otherwise, this endeavor wouldn't end up being all too profitable for her. Or at least not in the short run.

"Of course I'll come" Yuno spoke with a smile, before her voice took on a curious and slightly innocent note. "But say, Keiko, there is a festivity after the ceremony, right?"

The moment Keiko heard her words, a huge smile covered the dark haired girl's features as she delivered her own reply without missing a beat.

"Of course there is one, Yuno-tan. What wedding doesn't end with a huge party?"

Despite not showing it on her face, Yuno was very pleased with how her intuitions had turned out to be true. And even if that had not been the case, she would have still gained something from all of this in the long run.

But with the current outcome, not only had she gotten the girl to consider her even more of a 'friend', but she had also achieved another important thing.

She had just managed to save some of the rather important money that she would have normally used in order to ensure the minimum necessities for her living.

Since her parents had died, she had been left with only a limited amount of money that they had kept at their house. And while that was enough to cover the bare minimum living expenses for a few more months, she had to save as much money as possible if the opportunity ever arose. At least until she figured out a way to get more money to ensure her survival.

So, what better way to save money than to eat for free at a friend's expense. More so, if she were to play her cards even better, then she could perhaps even take some food with her back home.

Yuno quickly finished that train of thought and gave her classmate a smile of her own. "That's good to know" she spoke happily. "Because it would have been quite bad if I were to pick an outfit that didn't suit the afterparty."

Hearing this, Keiko let out a giggle as she returned her friend's smile. "Yeah, that would have been pretty bad" she replied as she looked at the clock in the classroom. "Anyway I've got something to do now, so I'll call you later to tell you the details, okay? As for your parent's permission, don't worry, because my mom will take care of it."

And with that, the dark haired girl turned around and began walking toward the door, however, after taking only a few steps, she was interrupted by her friend's voice.

"Actually, there is no need to call my parents" Yuno spoke, earning a raised eyebrow from her classmate. "They are currently on a holiday, celebrating their thirteenth anniversary" the rose haired girl smiled mischievously. "So I don't really need their permission, because they won't be returning for a while, and therefore they won't know that I've stood outside past curfew."

"Oh my, how devious of you, Yuno-tan!" the cheerful girl replied as she giggled once again. "Alrighty then, I'll just call you later and tell you about the date and time of the wedding. Hear you later, Yuno-tan!~."

"Okay, Keiko" the rose haired girl spoke as she watched the bubbly girl walk out of the classroom, finally releasing a sigh when she was sure that that girl could hear her anymore.

A moment later, Yuno grabbed her bag from her desk and left the classroom as well, all the while thinking how bothersome of a person that girl could be with her overly chipper personality, before her thoughts finally settled when she eventually remembered about her newly acquired hobby.

She quickly took out her cellphone and flipped it open as she began tapping on the small keypad with rapid elegance.

It didn't take her long until most of her thoughts began to once more revolve around a certain someone that she could barely wait to meet again.

###

 **2005/05/16 18:20 [Sakurami City]**

The lithe frame of a rose haired young girl was moving along the rather empty sidewalk as her cerise eyes were looking around her surroundings, seemingly searching for something, or perhaps someone.

It had been six days since her definitely unusual meeting with the one who had prevented her from dying in a car crash. The one who had also promised to meet with her soon again.

Which is why she had eventually resolved to try to wait for that moment to come, despite her wishing to meet the snow haired young man as soon as possible.

For a few days it had seemed that she would have been able to do it, mainly because she had channeled all of her thoughts in something that she had come up with in order to try to stave off the constantly increasing longing within her heart.

However, even that seemed to work only for a while, and as of the past two days, Yuno felt that even her diary couldn't help her keep that yearning in check any longer.

She wanted to meet her mysterious savior once more. She wanted to talk to him, to get to know the one who had taken over so much of her thoughts in such a short period of time.

...But she couldn't.

She couldn't do it, because she had no idea about how to find him. She had tried looking for him, but without even a name, there wasn't much that she could do.

Even if a person looking like _him_ would have been easily distinguishable among others on the street, she still couldn't find any clue about his whereabouts.

She had even tried asking people on the street for information about him, but nobody had been able to help her. Most of them had either shrugged or gave her odd looks upon hearing her description of the young man.

Yuno wasn't exactly sure what she would be even accomplishing when she had decided to go outside and just wander the streets in the hope that she found find something—anything—about the mysterious young man with pale hair.

The only thing that she seemed to be getting from all of this was disappointment. And that feeling was slowly starting to bring the doubt back in both her mind and her heart.

What if he had forgotten about her?

Yuno didn't want to think about the answer to that question. Not after she had just found something—someone—who had managed to get her mind off all that gloom and despair which had been tormenting her until six days ago.

She didn't know what would happen to her if even this would be taken away from her.

She didn't want to think about it, but with each passing day without seeing him, her doubts were slowly growing while at the same time her hopes were also slowly crumbling away.

Yet, she knew that she couldn't give up. Not when this was the only thing that she had left. The only thing that was keeping her together.

She couldn't possibly give up now, because if she did, then she was certain that she wouldn't be able to go any further.

She still had rather fresh in mind the events which had transpired on the day when she had given up on everything. But just before all could have finally ended for her, he had saved her. And that had made her realize that she still had something to look forward to whenever she woke up in the morning.

Which was exactly why she had to try and fight whenever any despair threatened to get ahold of her and continue to believe in the young man with ethereal features and snowy hair who had promised to come and see her again soon.

Finishing that train of thought, Yuno flipped open her cellphone and glanced at its luminous screen, more specifically the digital clock that was showing in the upper right corner of the display.

 _18:40_ it indicated.

It didn't take her very long to realize that she wouldn't be getting anything more done outside at this hour, and promptly decided that she should be heading home, lest she accidentally encountered some of the more unsavory folk which were known to be frequently dwelling the streets around this time of day.

A moment later, the rose haired girl spun on her heels as she turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, her chosen destination being that of her own house.

However, unknown to her, a pair of forest green eyes had been tracking each and every one of her movements all of this time, and the individual to whom they belonged had been committing in his mind every action that she had taken as he observed her with great detail.

So, as soon as the girl turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, so did the brown haired man who had been watching her all of this time from afar while walking at a slow pace on the other side of the street.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN:**

 **And that's all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Now, regarding the matter of the review responses, which are actually the guests ones, since I can't reply to them via PM. The order is chronological, by the way.**

 **Guest #1: Thank you for the feedback.**

 **ruce: I chose Indonesia because it is rather infamous when it comes to things such as genocide. For more information on why I picked it, I suggest that you read on the Wikipedia about its second president, Suharto. Also, I'm glad that you've enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Wiselord: Firstly, only a radius of 100km had been reduced to a crater, the rest was just affected by the natural disasters. Secondly, no, it's not defeating the whole point. That 'point' is explained throughout the Prologue and the first part of Chapter 1, so I suggest that you re-read them if you still don't understand why things happened as they did. Or if you want I could explain it to you in detail via a PM.**

 **alpha95: I've never said that the Human Path allows one to completely understand the soul of the target. That was merely your own interpretation of what I wrote. What I did say, however, is that the Human Path allows the individual to absorb, as in learn, all of the target's memories in only a second, meaning that one would know what that person knew, but they wouldn't mysteriously understand all of their life long feelings and emotions. Human Path doesn't exactly deal with empathy, it just allows one to read someone else's mind with an added option for 'download'.**

 **Now about the next point that you've made. You said that Naruto acted as if 'ignorant of the world, when realistically, he should have had at least a basic understanding of it'.**

 **Now I ask this. Have you actually understood what you've read before reaching that part? Because I'm quite sure that I've explained in a rather well structured manner why things happened the way they happened. Both during the Prologue as well as during the first part of Chapter 1.**

 **I'm not going to explain it here, because that would take a lot of space, so if you want a thorough explanation, then please use the PM option. However, I will say this. There is something called character progression which completely contradicts with the stagnation that you are implying. Yes, canon!Hagoromo wouldn't have acted to such an extent, but when did you get the false impression that this was canon!Hagoromo? This Hagoromo, and implicitly Naruto, possesses something called realistic progression, which in canon seemed to be lacking in great amounts. I really don't see Hagoromo in canon watching the shinobi world for a thousand years and still maintaining his naïve way of thinking when it comes to mankind. That's simply unrealistic and illogical to me. But at the same time I understand why it is as it is. The manga of Naruto is a shōnen, not a seinen, so certain aspects will be omitted in favor of others that are more fitting for that genre.**

 **The Dude: Thank you, and I'm glad that you've enjoyed the chapter.**

 **And now, one last thing. I would like to hear you opinions on this statement, and if you do, then how much do you either agree or disagree with it:**

" **All entities, above a certain level of power, living beyond a century naturally grow to be desensitized to morality and other social constructs. Depending on willpower and level of belief, this figurative fall from grace can take minutes, hours, days, years, centuries or even a millennium. What is certain, however, is that eventually even the most righteous of entity, not constrained to being human, will fall."**

 **If you want to comment on this, then feel free to either drop a review or send me a PM. I look forward to hearing from you all.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

 **Reader Note: I have posted links on my profile to a gallery of pictures that I have made for this story. Please feel free to visit it if curious.**

####

 **Chapter 3: Growing Roots**

 **[Unknown Location]**

Amidst the many mountain ranges that comprised the landscape of this rather peculiar world, the lone figure of a young man with long hair the color of pure snow could be seen in the very far distance.

Upon a closer look, it could be seen that his appearance was perhaps even more peculiar when contrasted to that of his surroundings.

Clad in nothing more than his own alabaster flesh, the young man was truly an alluring sight to behold. His mere appearance could instantly entrance any lesser being, were they to accidentally lay their eyes upon his ethereal form which radiated an unearthly beauty.

His skin possessed no blemish, nor was it marred by any mark, and if one were to possess enough clarity to their eyesight, they could see how even the minuscule particles of dust that floated haphazardly through the air seemed to be shying away from the young man's form.

Long and silken albescent tresses swayed rhythmically in the gentle breeze, exposing the milky flesh beneath them, before eventually returning to their position as they once again curtained over the young man's shoulders and fell down his slender back.

Pale and relaxed hands were lying unmoving on folded legs as the young man appeared to be sitting in a lotus position, his ethereal features unclouded by any traces of tension whatsoever.

The calm and peaceful expression that was currently settled upon his visage was nothing more than an epitome of tranquility, and the perfect stillness of the young man's frame only further added to the image of perfect serenity that was emanating from his very being.

His eyes were currently closed, seemingly denying him any and all visual perception of the outside world, however, that could be only normal for someone who was engaged to such a degree in what appeared to be soul-searching meditation.

The young man had spent almost seven days in the current position, floating several feet above the ground in a manner that was mocking to all of the known laws of physics as he reflected on every single event which had taken place in his life during the past few hours before he had started this reminiscence.

He had remembered how eager he had been when he had first placed foot within the unknown world that had also completely changed his views, and that particular recalling only served to further ignite even more memories inside his mind.

He, who had been once known as Hagoromo, the creator of peace, law and order in a troubled world... the one who had founded ninshū in the hope that the people of his world would come to reach a transcendental level of understanding among each other, and in the process had become known as the Sage of the Six Paths for his deeds toward achieving peace and stability... had been nothing more than a naïve fool. And in this foolishness he had made mistakes which had plunged his world into even more chaos than it had already been experiencing.

And when he had realized to what extent his actions had affected the world, it had already been too late, for he had been nothing more than a spirit, forced to witness his mistakes for the rest of eternity as his extremely powerful chakra had trapped him outside the passing of time itself, thus denying him the chance of finally obtaining his eternal rest in the afterlife.

But eventually, hope had been reignited within his heart anew, as he had been given the opportunity to mend all of these mistakes, all in the form of a little child that would house his incredible power and spirit.

Transmigrating in the child had been no problem, and even molding him to suit his future needs had been rather easy. The only thing that had been left for him to deal with had been the certainty that his wish would be realized.

Thus, the sage had resolved to merge his soul with that of the boy's, so that he might be able to see the wonderful results of his patient waiting for a millennium worth of time.

And by choosing to merge together his very spirit to that of his transmigrant, he would actually achieve an outcome that could not be more of a win for the both of them.

That way, the sage would be able to see the fruits of his labor, and at the same time, the young boy would be able to continue experiencing his recently begun life, albeit with a little twist.

The young boy would essentially turn from his transmigrant to his unconventional reincarnation when both of their souls were to become one.

And despite how outlandish achieving such a feat might have sounded, the sage had not been regarded as _the_ _one_ who had managed to unravel the mystery of chakra and had completely understood its all-encompassing nature.

For someone like him who had attained complete mastery over the yin-yang release, merging two souls into a single entity had been nothing more than mere child's play.

After all, with such a thing as his _Banbutsu Sōzō no Jutsu (Creation of All Things Technique)_ at disposal, only his imagination dictated what he could and what he could not achieve.

As such, creation and destruction were mere tools held within his palms, his to be guided whenever and wherever he desired as they carried out his will in shaping the world itself.

After the merging had been completed, it had taken the young man a little while to get used to the changes, mainly because he could no longer completely identify himself in any of the previous entities, yet at the same time, identify himself within both of them.

His ideals and wishes had been inherited from Hagoromo, but the life that he would be living belonged to Naruto, which was why he had decided to keep that name, in order to honor the memory of the one who had made it possible for him to achieve his goal of mending the chaos that he had created in the past.

Thus, Ōtsutsuki Naruto, an entity that was more than a simple reincarnation, had been born from both the spirits of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and his very distant descendant, Uzumaki Naruto.

The young man had not been bothered when he had become aware about what had happened, and had decided that it would be only normal for him to live for both the entities which had been merged before his creation.

With the legacy of both the sage and his transmigrant in his mind, the young man had done everything that the sage had wished for, and had managed to right the wrongs that he had done during his previous life as Hagoromo.

Peace and stability had been established among the mankind of his world, and with his task fulfilled, the recently ascended to godhood young man had sought to accomplish the only other thing which had been heavily weighing on the sage's heart during his final moments.

He had decided to leave for a different world, desiring to know how the humans of other lands compared to those of his own world, all the while hoping that they would be much different and less foolish than those that he had known and observed for so long.

But upon arriving to another world, his worst fears had become true as the young man had been forcefully and rather unpleasantly ridden of the naivety which had lingered to his soul for the past thousand years.

He had come to realize that regardless of their place of origin, humans would never rise to be the species that he had hoped they would, and that he had been a fool to believe that such a change would ever occur.

However, this realization left him with a void in his heart, a lack of purpose that stirred up feelings of emptiness within his soul.

After so many centuries of thoughtful care for the humans, he was suddenly left with only empty nothingness as his passion for them had withered away and died in the wake of this sudden revelation.

He no longer cared for the humans and it was impossible for him to try and delude himself once more.

From that point onwards he could only continue with his metaphoric fall.

His passion for the humans would never be ignited anew.

And just as he had been wandering through that new world, devoid of any purpose whatsoever, something truly unexpected had transpired, and the young man was faced with what he could only describe as an anomaly.

A little human, a young girl with cotton candy hair to be more precise, has caught his attention with how much she seemed to not fit into the world around her.

But after a closer observation on his part, he had come to realize that the oddity surrounding that girl ran much deeper than he had first believed, and that there was a confusing sense of similarity yet at the same time a stark opposition between her and himself, more specifically the emotions that they seemed to be experiencing.

This had been what had led him to approach her as he had been made curious and wished to know more about this little oddity.

However, for all of the observations that he had made regarding this little girl, he would have never imagined what would await him once they had actually conversed.

The sheer irony of her words back then had made him laugh for a full minute, something which he had not genuinely done for a very, very long time.

And so, the young man had realized that this little girl which had caught his attention was much more interesting than what he had expected her to be. Reason for why he had tasked his creation, Alduin, to observe her during the week that he would be spending meditating in order to settle his thoughts and structure himself with discipline and dignity.

But despite being so deeply absorbed in his meditation, a small part of the young man's mind would always wonder about that little human who had managed to interest him to such an extent.

And the more time passed, the more nagging that feeling of curiosity became.

Which is why it had been very fortunate for him that his time of meditation seemed to have finally come to an end, because as of the past few hours it had become rather hard for him to refrain himself from giving in to his aroused curiosity.

The young man's eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing pale orbs which shone with untold amounts of wisdom and at the same time reflected a surety that could only be achieved after a long-lasting and profound soul-searching.

With an almost mesmerizing grace, the young man shifted himself into a standing position as he slowly began his descent toward the rust-red rocks which made up the terrain below his feet.

As the young man was slowly levitating down toward the ground, whitish energy blossomed around his unclad form, wrapping him in its radiance as it seemed to shift and coalesce around him, until it finally gained substance as it began assuming a physical form.

A white dress shirt first covered his sculpted chest whilst a pair of dark colored trousers were slowly enveloping his lean legs, and as soon as those were done materializing, a long and elegant coat of dark color, as well as a matching pair of shoes followed.

By the time the young man was completely clothed once again, his feet had already touched the rusty soil, and he gazed one last time at the impressive sight that were his mountainous surroundings, before he focused on the empty space in front of him, prompting it to unravel at its seams as it parted open not even a second later.

The young man wasted no time and quickly entered the fissure between worlds, with said portal closing in his wake as soon as he had completely disappeared within its pitch black recesses.

The time for him to return to the little human who had enkindled such a strong interest within his being had finally come.

####

 **Meanwhile [Cathedral of Causality]**

Just when she was about to take a bite out of her freshly cooked and delicious mochi, a blaring sound caught Murmur's attention, prompting her to drop the piece of delicious goodness back on the plate as her eyebrows began twitching.

"Again?!" she exclaimed, sounding rather peeved. "Just what is that _thing_ doing?!"

She quickly glanced to her left, noting how her superior didn't look like he had even acknowledged her earlier outburst, or the previous warning signal for that matter.

Deus for his part seemed to be rather absorbed with whatever he was doing as he operated a large keyboard-like device while observing several screens that floated in front of his throne.

"Boss, are not even the least concerned about that unknown _thing_ acting as if our world is some sort of interdimensional hub?"

The God of Time and Space merely raised a nonexistent eyebrow as he paused from his typing and turned his skeletal head to glance at a rather restless looking Murmur.

"Hmm" Deus pondered for a few moments, before he spoke as he resumed his typing. "I do not find the matter of that unknown all that pressing at the moment."

"Really?" the childlike servant asked with a hint of incredulity in her tone. "So you don't mind the fact that something which we cannot trace nor identify had been repeatedly opening rifts in the space-time of our dimension during the past week?"

Upon hearing this, Deus seemed to completely cease his previous activity as his throne turned around until it faced his diminutive servant.

"Now, Murmur, do not misunderstand my words" the towering entity spoke with sightly narrowed eyes as he glared at the tanned girl, prompting her to stiffen. "I never said that I completely agreed with our situation. It is just that I have much more important matters to attend to, rather than concerning myself with things which are beyond my control."

"I-I see, Deus" Murmur managed to get out under the pressure of her superior's glare. "But is there truly no way for us to at least learn something about this unknown variable?"

Deus simply hummed in thought at her question as he once again returned to his operating of that contraption. "Perhaps there might be a way for us to at least locate this entity."

"Really?" Murmur voiced out with curiosity as she seemed to have regained her composure after the previous incident. "But how would we do that?"

"Well..." Deus began as he waved his hand, prompting a large floating screen to appear in the center of the chamber.

The screen seemed to be holographic in nature and displayed the map of a city that was being viewed from above.

"From what data we had managed to collect on these space-time fissures, we know that most of them have manifested within the boundaries of Sakurami City."

At this, several red dots appeared over the holographic map.

"So we can safely presume that whatever business this entity has, it is located somewhere within Sakurami." Deus explained as he waved his hand once more, causing the floating screen to vanish. "Which means that it will eventually influence the flow of causalities in that city and perhaps even outright change some of them."

A disbelieving look was slowly forming on Murmur's features as she seemed to realize what her boss would be saying next.

"So all that we would have to do is to closely monitor the flow of causalities in Sakurami and see whenever changes occurs due to an external interference" Deus concluded. "That way we should be able to eventually locate this unknown entity by using whomever it comes into contact with as an intermediary."

"Boss..." Murmur spoke incredulously as she glanced at her carefree superior. "You do realize that there are a few millions of causalities in Sakurami City, right?"

"Of course I do, Murmur" the God of a Time and Space responded with a chuckle as he glanced back at her. "That city is quite the populated one after all, so you should get started if you truly want to locate that unknown."

Once again, the diminutive servant felt annoyance surge through her as she listened to her superior's reply.

"Deus, this isn't funny!" she immediately shot back, sounding rather miffed. "Do you know how long that would take?! I could read a lot of manga in that time!"

Deus merely chuckled once more in amusement.

"Well, as you are definitely aware, I am rather busy with reordering the causal nexus in preparation to the upcoming survival game, so I do not exactly have the time for anything else" he supplied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, it is you who wish to find that unknown before it reveals itself to us, so I don't see why I should involve myself. I am content with simply waiting."

Following that, the God of Time and Space returned his gaze upon the many monitors in front of his jagged throne and resumed his work, leaving a still wide-eyed Murmur stare at his towering form in disbelief as she had yet to recover from the shock that she had just received from her superior's previous words.

####

 **2005/05/17 16:30 [Sakurami City — Alleyway]**

The air in the center of the currently desolate alley suddenly split open, revealing a deep blackness within, from which not even a second later, the figure of a young man with exquisite features and silvery hair stepped out.

As the interdimensional fissure was closing behind him, the young man seemed to concentrate for a brief moment as he closed his eyes, before he slowly raised his left hand and opened his palm as if grasping at empty air.

Opening his eyes, twin light purple orbs, which possessed an unique black rippling pattern, were revealed to the world as they seemingly shone with power.

Not even a moment later, several lines of minuscule black symbols emerged from the young man's outstretched palm and started crawling along the surface of the air until they formed an intricate looking pattern, which had his palm at its center.

A cloud of smoke immediately exploded from the middle of the sealing array, and as soon as the fumes dissipated, the figure of a brown haired and green eyed middle-aged man could be seen in their stead.

Quickly inspecting his surroundings, the older man locked eyes with the young one, moment when he instantly fell to his knees in what seemed to be sheer agony as a multitude of black ooze-like tendrils erupted from all over his body.

However, his pain seemed to only last for a very short time as it didn't take more than a few seconds for the tarry mass to force its way out of the man's body.

Meanwhile, the white haired young man was merely watching with a detached expression etched into his features as he was most likely waiting for the entire ordeal to be finished.

After even the last one of the black gooey tendrils had left the brown haired man, a lifeless thud soon followed as his now dead body finally hit the cold asphalt.

The gathered mass of ooze slowly began writhing as it assumed a humanoid-like form which possessed two sickly yellow eyes and a grin filled with jagged teeth.

"Welcome back, father" the creature spoke with something akin to happiness discernible in its tone as it greeted the young man which it was currently facing.

The young man simply offered it a small smile and beckoned it with his left hand which he kept outstretched.

The creature didn't waste even a second and rapidly walked over to its father's opened palm, gently grasping it with its hands as its body once again started to revert to its previous viscous state, before it quickly slithered up the extended arm.

The gooey mass quickly settled itself as it reassumed the form of a pitch black glove on the young man's pale hand, who simply lowered his hand once the entire process was done.

"Now that you are back, I would like for you to show me what you have learnt, Alduin" the young man finally spoke, his melodious and soft voice acting as music to the creature's nonexistent ears as it started purring in delight.

"Of course, father" Alduin immediately replied as it began playing its memories of the past week to the one it considered to be its father.

As soon as the first memory fragment hit his mind, the white haired young man closed his eyes and promptly focused on the events which his creation was presenting him.

By the the time the last of the memories had been shown to him, the young man once again found himself genuinely laughing at what he had just witnessed.

He could almost not believe what he had seen. The irony was once again so great that he could not help but laugh.

That little girl had yet again proved herself to be beyond any expectation that he might have had for her.

If she had been very interesting to him before, then by now she was definitely a hidden gem, well concealed by the surrounding layers of dirt that would have only further swallowed her into their depths had he not found her when he did.

A minute later, the young man seemed to have finally regained his composure, moment when he addressed the living glove on his left hand.

"To think that this little girl had overcome my weeklong meditation with a spontaneous act of cognitive ability... How fabulous" he spoke, his voice filled with mirth. "Although, I would not exactly consider myself to be insane, right Alduin?"

"Of course not, father" the creature immediately responded.

"Still..." the young man continued, his lips forming a smile. "This girl had been shockingly accurate with that point of hers about the erosion of passion... What a marvel indeed."

Another light chuckle escaped the white haired young man's lips as he once again went over the little girl's speech in his mind.

If he had been curious about her before his return, then by now he could barely wait to see how she would manage to surprise him next.

He was not even sure if he had a word in his extensive vocabulary which could properly describe how interesting this young girl had turned out to be to him.

The young man quickly put a stop to his current thoughts when he remembered that besides getting the report from Alduin, there was another matter which he had to attend to now that he had finally returned.

"Ah..." the young man muttered in realization as the promise which he had made one week ago had been brought to the front of his mind. "It seems that I have made the girl wait for quite the while..."

The memory of the uttered promise was quickly followed by another one, one which he had recently gotten, and the image of a cotton candy haired girl wandering the streets as she seemingly searched for something, or rather someone, quickly resurfaced in his mind.

"Perhaps for even a little too long if I were to go by this memory" the young man added before he glanced at the corpse of the brown haired man, more specifically at the watch that was secured around his right wrist. "Oh, it seems that I am indeed a bit late."

Not wasting another second, the young man focused and extended his otherworldly senses as he sought a specific life force signature among the few millions which currently populated the city.

It took him only a brief moment of searching to locate his target and after he had done such, he gazed at the empty air in front of him, watching how it bent under his power and split itself open to reveal the dark emptiness of the interdimensional void.

Before he could enter the fissure in space-time, however, he glanced once more at the dead body which was lying on the cold asphalt a few feet away from his position in a steadily growing pool of blood.

Pale eyes narrowed in thought as the young man contemplated what to do with said carcass.

It was certain that he could not leave it lying there, because that would only bring his needless complications further down the road. Even if there were no traces that could hint toward his particular existence on that body, he did not want any possible nuisances to arise in the future.

So, with that thought in mind, the young man slowly raised a slender hand and pointed with his index finger toward the direction of the corpse.

What followed next could only be described as being rather macabre and horrific to the average onlooker.

The skin covering the tip of the young man's extended finger slowly parted away as it revealed the ivory bone lying beneath, before said phalanx was suddenly propelled out of its place at a speed completely untraceable by the naked eye.

When the tiny bone made contact with the corpse of the middle-aged man, both it and the targeted carcass immediately began to crumble away at a rapid pace as they corroded until only a pile of ashes was left behind.

Following a simple wave of his hand, a strong wind suddenly started blowing through the dim-lit alleyway, scattering the entirety of the ashes as it carried them away toward the heavens.

A moment later, the young man gazed back at the still open portal in front of him and started walking toward it.

"Now then, it is time to visit our lovely little lady" he spoke with a tinge of eagerness in his voice as he entered the pitch black fissure, which promptly closed in his wake.

####

 **Meanwhile with Yuno...**

It had been several minutes since the ceremony had begun, and only the voice of the wedding celebrant could be heard inside the fairly spacious chapel.

Most of the guests had their gazes resting upon the groom and the bride who were standing in front of the altar as they listened to the marriage officiant speaking, while a select few seemed to be still admiring the fastidious decorations of the room.

Only one of the guests looked like they didn't actually feel all that comfortable attending the ceremony.

Seated at the very back of the chapel, on a bench next to the door, the figure of a rose haired young girl was observing the ongoing event with dull cerise eyes.

During the past few minutes, Yuno had slowly realized that coming to this wedding ceremony might have not been the best of her ideas.

At first, she had thought that her decision had been one which involved no risks and yielded a generous outcome, however, after only a couple minutes into the ceremony, she began to seriously doubt her choice of attending it.

The ceremony itself seemed nice with the well thought organization and luxurious preparations, and she had no qualms about it.

However, the cheerful and high-spirited atmosphere of the wedding, the many guests who were beaming at the yet-to-be wed couple were slowly but steadily lowering her own spirits.

The more she watched the ongoing ceremony, the more downcast she felt.

All of this lightheartedness and cheer were contrasting heavily with the gloom that was slowly creeping into her being as Yuno was being reminded of some rather unpleasant things.

The word _future_ resonated inside her mind several times and the rose haired girl found herself remembering that questionnaire from one week ago which she had thrown into the dustbin.

Here she was, taking part in the deciding of two strangers' future, when she had no future for herself.

No wonder she felt so dispirited.

For a split second, Yuno felt like simply standing up and leaving this place before she actually started feeling sick at all the happiness surrounding her, but she soon saw the foolishness in doing that.

She couldn't just leave in the middle of the ceremony. That would reflect very badly on her, and could damage the reputation of her façade severely.

So she had to endure this a little longer and just try to keep her mind elsewhere.

However, the moment she tried to think about something else, as if to spite her previous wish, her mind recalled another thing which actually made her chest ache.

The image of a handsome young man with snow-white long hair flashed in her mind, and Yuno felt her depression increase almost tenfold.

It had been a week since she had met him, and he had yet to come visit her again as he had promised that he would back then.

She had tried to search for him during the past two days, but all of her efforts had turned out to be in vain as she hadn't been able to find anything related to the young man who had saved her life.

It was like he had simply vanished from the world. And that thought made her chest ache even more.

Just when she had thought that she had finally found a glimmer of hope in the sea of despair that was her life, that last vestige of her hope had slowly turned out to be a false one, for her mysterious savior seemed to have forgotten about her.

A bitter laugh almost escaped the rose haired girl's lips upon realizing that she of all people had been expecting a prince charming to come, sweep her off her feet and carry her toward a bright future.

Her? A daughter who had killed her own parents deserving such a happy end? That was preposterous as much as it was improbable.

Feeling already numb to the world around her, Yuno quickly realized that history might soon be repeating, however, this time there wouldn't be any mysterious young man to save her at the last possible moment.

This dark and depressing train of thought that was currently plaguing her mind was suddenly interrupted when she heard the spot on the bench next to her creak slightly as the old wood was forced to support the weight of another person.

The rose haired girl briefly wondered who might it be the person who had decided to sit next to her of all places.

Slowly raising her slightly lowered head and craning it to the side, Yuno peered with her hollow cerise orbs to her right, in the direction where the previously heard sound had come from.

However, the moment her gaze settled upon the frame of the person that was currently sitting next to her, Yuno found herself frozen in shock as she didn't seem to believe what she was currently seeing.

Widened and disbelieving light red eyes stared into pale ones filled with traces of amusement as the young girl tried to convince herself that what she was witnessing was in fact real.

Seeing the cotton candy haired girl in front of him stare at him in such a manner, the young man decided to be the one who spoke first.

"It has been quite the while, little lady."

The moment Yuno heard his soft and melodious voice, she was certain that the young man sitting next to her was indeed real.

She turned the rest of her body and faced him completely as she once again took in his full appearance.

Somehow he looked even more ethereal than the first time, and there seemed to be another thing different about his overall appearance. He seemed to be more at peace than the first time she had seen him.

After spending a few more moments gazing at his entrancing form, Yuno briefly wondered how had he managed to find her without knowing even her name, or anything about her for that matter, however, that thought was quickly brought to a halt when she heard him address her once again.

"It seems that you are not exactly enjoying the atmosphere of this place" the young man commented as he glanced around himself for a moment, taking in the sight of the wedding chapel and its many occupants, before returning his gaze upon the girl seated next to him. "But what is it that makes you feel so downcast?"

Upon hearing his inquiry, the young girl appeared to be slightly taken aback by it and a thoughtful look crossed her face.

For a moment, she wondered about what was the deal with this young man and his seemingly out of place questions, however, she was interrupted when she noticed from the corner of her eyes how the groom was holding the bride's hand as he prepared to slide the wedding ring on her finger.

Seeing this exchange take place, Yuno's earlier gloom returned anew as she was once again reminded of her bleak future.

The more she watched the expressions of happiness that were etched into the bride's and groom's faces, the more she seemed to be unable to hold back the tears which were pooling in her eyes.

It was as if this entire ceremony was mocking her with how cheerful and bright it was.

The young man's previous words echoed in her mind, and her tears finally began streaming down her beautiful face as she slowly realized how improbable it would be for her to experience such happiness in her future.

After all, who would want to spend their life with someone who had killed their own parents and left them to rot inside a cage?

Momentarily overcome by her sadness, Yuno averted her gaze from the joyful couple and turned her tear stained face to the young man next to her.

The rose haired girl managed to get out a few words, her voice barely above a whisper and sounding so pained that it was almost heart wrenching to listen to.

"Will I... ever have happiness...?"

The snow haired young man who had been silently observing her until now glanced for a brief moment in the direction of the altar, before his eyes returned upon the vulnerable looking form of the cotton candy haired girl.

As he continued to gaze at her slightly pained face and misty eyes, he found himself strangely touched by this display.

It seemed that this little girl had influenced him more than he had initially thought.

He had reinforced his resolve during the past week to no longer care about these humans, yet right now, here he was empathizing with one of them.

Perhaps it had been the fact that this girl seemed to be so much more different than her pathetic species that had allowed him to exhibit this much of a care about her.

Or perhaps it had been the fact that she had managed to ensnare so much of his attention and interest that he had found himself willingly seeking her just so that he could learn more about her.

He was not exactly sure about the reason for why he felt like this, however, there was one thing which he was certain about.

The mystery that this girl seemed to be... it definitely ran much deeper than he had initially thought.

Much, _much_ deeper.

And he would absolutely get to the bottom of it all.

With that last thought in mind, the young man reached with his slender hands toward the girl's tear stained cheeks and used his pale fingers to wipe away the salty liquid trailing down her crying face.

The rose haired girl didn't look like she had expected such a gesture on his part, but she didn't protest either.

After his fingers had gently brushed away her tears, she seemed to stop shedding any others and her face lost its previous dolor as it slowly started to regain its usual brightness.

"It depends on what you perceive as being this happiness that you seek" the young man spoke sagely as he placed his right hand inside the pocket of his coat. "For anything could become happiness to you if you desire it to be as such."

A brief moment of silence followed as he locked eyes with the girl, before he addressed her once again.

"Say, little lady..." he began as he brought his hand out of his pocket and showed his clenched palm to the cotton candy haired girl. "Do you believe in magic?" he continued, opening his palm and revealing a small packet of Haribo sweets to her.

The young girl sent him a questioning look as she eyed the small packet of gummy bears, all the while wondering what came over him that he started acting so strange out of a sudden.

She had managed to regain her composure and even the last vestige of her previous tears seemed to have been removed, however, now she felt slightly confused because of that odd question that he had asked her.

Nevertheless, she answered it truthfully as she continued to wonder where this mysterious young man was aiming at.

"Magic?" the girl asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow. "I believe it to be nothing more than a cheap trick meant to fool and scam the gullible."

Hearing her answer with such conviction, the young man let out a light chuckle that slowly increased in intensity, turning into outright laughter as he began opening the packet of sweets held in his hands.

It was rather fortunate that right now most of the guests were busy either cheering or applauding while they were watching the bride and the groom kiss, because those sounds had served to mask the young man's mirth.

However, the rose haired girl being both right next to him and also not paying any more attention to the ceremony, had perfectly heard his melodious laughter.

She continued to gaze at his smiling face as she waited for him to reply to her previous words.

"I see" the white haired young man spoke with traces of amusement still present in his voice as he took out something from the now opened packet. "Although, I wonder whether you will still continue to stick to your previous claim after seeing this."

The rose haired girl once again gave him an inquisitive look as she saw him hold a ring made out of golden gummy bears between his index and middle fingers.

She watched him quickly twirl it around his fingers with incredible dexterity, before he suddenly closed his hand in a fist, hiding it away from view.

A moment later, he opened his palm in a dramatic fashion, revealing that what once had used to be a jelly sweet had turned into what appeared to be solid gold.

The young girl gasped quietly, her eyes wide in astonishment as she inspected the golden ring in the young man's hand.

It was a perfectly round accessory with no design whatsoever, the only exception being the rather odd inscription in hand letters which covered part of it.

 _Nosce the Ipsum. (Know Thyself)_

Not knowing what language that was, the girl filed it for later and returned her focus on the ring as she wondered how had he managed to pull off such a magic trick.

However, her musings were soon interrupted when she felt the young man gently grasp her left hand and, in a very similar fashion to what she had just witnessed a few minutes ago in the case of the two newlyweds, slowly slip the round, golden object on her ring finger.

Her mind having not yet caught up with the current development, the rose haired girl brought her hand closer to her face as she continued to look in amazement at the lovely ring, wondering if it was truly gold.

It took her a few more moments until she seemed to understand what had actually happened, but when she did, an intense warmth immediately suffused her cheeks and she felt her heart start racing as she gazed at the ethereal face of the young man.

Her velvety lips slightly parted as she attempted to speak, however, just before she could utter anything, a pale finger promptly silenced her.

"Tomorrow at noon, I would like for your company at Café Blanche" the young man with snow-white hair spoke as he stood up from the wooden bench and started walking toward the door.

After taking a few steps, he looked back at the young girl and offered her a charming smile as he addressed her one last time, his voice raised only enough to be audible by her.

"Be there."

And with that, the young man with snowy hair exited the wedding chapel, his departure completely unseen by the rest of the guests as they seemed to be much more busy listening to the last benediction that the wedding celebrant was giving.

The rose haired girl for her part was still rooted in place on the bench as she seemed to be unresponsive to the world surrounding her.

It took her another few moments to finally regain her wits, and by the time she did so, she realized that she had once again been subjected to another odd departure from the young man with snow-white hair.

"Just what's with him and his leaving so mysteriously..." she muttered to herself as she was fighting the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. "And I don't even know his name!"

Feeling her heart still beating wildly from the previous excitement, the young girl brought her left hand close to her chest as she tried to steady her still surging emotions.

However, that didn't seem to be very successful, for the moment she noticed again the golden ring on her finger, another wave of warmth blossomed in her chest and another blush covered her peach colored cheeks.

Eventually overcome by her emotional bliss, the rose haired girl brought her other arm and placed it over the ring, hugging it even tighter to her chest as an euphoric smile covered her bright features.

She would treasure this wonderful gift forevermore, for it had been that ray of hope which had completely pierced through the despair surrounding her soul.

####

After having taken his sudden and mysterious departure from the young girl, Naruto had decided to spend some time in the small park which was located only a few blocks away from the wedding chapel that he had just left.

The snow haired young man had allowed himself to bask in the beauty and tranquility of this little corner of nature and had decided to spend this breather by pondering on the rather impulsive nature of his recent actions.

As he was lying down on the soft and vibrant grass, his albescent tresses sprawled beneath and around his form as they covered him akin to some exquisite fabric, Naruto's mind slowly analyzed his previous decision of offering that little girl such a ring, as well as the implications and the symbolism of it.

Completely aware of the effects that his gesture would have in the future, he had nevertheless done it, without even having a proper reason for it at that moment. Only later had he realized why exactly he had acted in such a manner.

He had done it out of compassion, and it had been directed toward a human, no less.

However, with this realization came another question.

What could have moved him to do such a thing for her?

That girl should, for all intents and purposes, have been nothing more than an insect in his eyes. And yet, he saw her in a completely different light than he rest of her species.

From the moment he had first laid eyes upon her, he had noticed that there was something very different about her. Strange even. And that had interested him to no end.

The more he found out about this little girl, the more he found his interest become aroused.

For the entire week that he had spent in complete tranquility as he sought to structure himself with discipline and dignity, despite the focus that he had put behind his soul-searching meditation, part of his mind had still wandered to the enigma that was a certain cotton candy haired girl.

And after that week had come another incredible revelation which had further changed his views of her, up to a point where he had decided to actively seek her in order to try and unravel more of the mystery that she appeared to be.

Slowly assuming a sitting position with his legs folded in a lotus position, Naruto finally concluded his brief session of introspection.

In the end, he had deduced that it must have been all of these small things and little changes combined which had prompted him to act in such a manner after he had seen her display such vulnerability to him.

This little girl—no, this young lady was delicate akin to a flower, and the young man could not lie to himself. Not after he had observed her for so long and with such clarity of detail.

She was indeed a flower, yet she was a different one. A special one even. One that was meant to blossom. And he would make sure that such a thing happened without any interferences or disruptions.

####

 **The next day...**

Yuno's eyes suddenly snapped open as she woke up from her rather short period of dreamless sleep.

A few moments later, and even the last vestige of her sleepiness was removed from her mind as she quickly remembered the events of the previous day.

When she had arrived home, after the ceremony and subsequent party had been over, she had been so restless that she had barely been able to sit in one place.

All that she had been able to think about at that time was how she had been invited to a date by the young man who had also given her that lovely ring.

It had all been so surreal that she had needed a few hours to come up to terms with the current reality. And by the time she had managed to do that, the night had already fallen for quite the long time.

However, even that fact hadn't been able to quell her excitement.

Even knowing that she needed to be well rested for the amazing date that she would be going on the next day, she hadn't been able to get into her bed and stay still for more than a few minutes no matter how hard she tried.

And how could she do that?

How could she do such a thing as trying to sleep when less than a few hours before, the young man who had saved her life a week ago had basically given her an engagement ring?

At that time during the ceremony, Yuno might have been completely overwhelmed by the intense emotions that she had been feeling, however, after she had calmed down a little and had returned from her emotional high, she had thought about everything which had transpired with a level head.

Or as level as one might be after being offered a betrothal ring and then invited on a date.

She had never expected that such a thing would happen upon her second meeting of her mysterious savior.

And yet, here she was, with a lovely and gleaming ring on her finger, as well as with the promise of a date in only a few hours.

Yuno suddenly grabbed her pillow and hugged it close to her chest as she started rolling around in her bed.

She was so happy that she felt like bursting due to all the positive emotion that was swelling inside of her.

Just when she had thought that her life would once again spiral down into despair, the exact opposite had happened.

The mysterious young man had once again appeared out of nowhere when she had been expecting him the least and had figuratively swept her off her feet with his sudden gesture.

Yuno glanced once again at the golden ring that was resting in its place on her slender finger as if it had always belonged in that place to begin with and let out a dreamy sigh.

It was so hard for her to believe how her life had changed so drastically in such a short period of time, yet she knew that she wasn't dreaming and that what she was currently experiencing was indeed the reality.

A reality where she would soon be going on a date with the person who had been responsible for all these wonderful changes to her life.

Another sigh escaped the rose haired girl's mouth as she closed her eyes and imagined the snow haired young man's smiling face.

A surge of warmth spread through her being as she continued to think about him and how she would be able to spend even more time with him in only a few hours.

Several minutes later, Yuno finally let go of her pillow as she glanced at her nightstand, before she picked up her cellphone from it. She flipped it open and glanced at the digital clock.

 _05:30_ it displayed.

Placing her phone back on the nightstand, the rose haired girl decided to get out of her bed and begin her morning routine.

It was useless trying to spend more time in the bed, since she knew that with all the excitement and nervousness that were currently filling her body, it would be impossible to sleep for even one minute.

It had taken all of her willpower to force herself to sleep a few hours ago, and she had managed to do so only because she had been quite spent after all of the things which she had went through during the previous day, but also because she knew that she couldn't go tired on her date.

Standing up from her bed, Yuno went to the bathroom next to her room to brush her teeth, as well as take a shower to clean herself, all the while mentally planning her day until the time she had to take her leave.

After she was done with the shower, she returned to her room, however, instead of her previous smile, a frown was now marring her beautiful face.

During her shower she had realized that she might not have the clothes that she would have wished to wear for her date.

She quickly walked to the wardrobe sitting in the corner of her room on the same side with her bed, holding with one hand the white towel currently preserving her modesty, while with the other she grabbed ahold of the wooden handle of the closet's door.

With a quick jerk she opened the door to her wardrobe, however, as soon as her eyes registered its content, her frown deepened.

Most of the clothing articles were copies of her school uniform, whereas the others were simply not suited for what she had in mind.

With this being their first date, she wanted to impress the young man with her attire, but her hopes were quickly shot down when she realized that she might not have the necessary clothes to do such.

Feeling herself grow angry, Yuno slammed the door of her closet shut, before she began pacing around her room as she thought about a solution to this mess.

Suddenly, an idea sprung inside her mind, and in a burst of speed, the rose haired girl ran out of her room as she headed to the room where her mother had used to sleep.

There she was bound to find something suitable.

It didn't take her any longer than a few seconds to reach her destination, and as soon as the rose haired girl opened her mother's closet, a smile formed on her lips.

Her late mother had possessed quite the variety of clothes, and even if some of them might be a little big for Yuno, she was rather confident in her tailoring skills.

After all, it had been her who had customized all of her school uniforms, since her mother had always been too busy to help her. Or simply too lazy to buy her clothes of a proper size.

Reaching inside the closet, Yuno took out several articles of clothing that she placed over her shoulder, before she closed the door and left the room.

When she returned to her room, she placed all of the retrieved clothes on her bed and quickly began appraising them.

Some of them looked like they would fit her, such as a white chemise and a light red jacket, however, a blue pleated skirt which had previously caught her eye looked like it would need some adjusting in order to properly fit her.

Happy that she had managed to find some clothes which complied with what she had in mind for her upcoming date, the rose haired girl went once again to her own wardrobe and retrieved another copy of her school uniform from inside.

While she was spending her time at home, she could wear those instead. Plus, it wouldn't do to crinkle the clothes that she had selected for her rendezvous.

And then there was also the issue with the skirt which she would have to take care of a little later, because right now she should be having breakfast.

After she was done clothing herself, Yuno left her room and started walking down the hallway with a happy smile on her face as she headed to the kitchen.

However, as soon as she passed by a certain door, her smile and previously pleasant mood instantly fell as she was once again reminded of what had transpired in that particular room, as well as what lay beyond that sliding door.

Shaking her head in an attempt to remove the darker thoughts which were beginning to creep inside her mind, Yuno seemed to be successful in doing just that, however, as soon as her eyes took once again notice of the golden accessory which rested on her left ring finger, all of her previous doubts returned in full force.

It seemed that while absorbed in her emotional bliss as she had been until now, she had forgotten one rather important, or perhaps even crucial detail when it came to her budding relationship with the young man.

Neither of them knew next to nothing about the other. And while such a thing didn't bother her too much, because she would soon come to learn more about him, the same couldn't be said about the opposite case.

Yuno dreaded the possibility of him somehow finding out about the dark secret which lay beyond the sliding door next to her.

She didn't want to imagine what would happen if he were to find out about what she had done, because she knew that it wouldn't be nice. Not in the least.

She was certain that he would begin to loathe and despise her if he were to ever learn of how she had starved her own parents to death and left them in a cage to rot.

And that was exactly why she couldn't possibly let such a thing to happen.

She couldn't allow her dark secret to be found out by him, because she was sure that she wouldn't be able to continue if this ray of hope were to be taken from her.

The fact that she had once again began contemplating ending her life as soon as she was close to believing that the young man had forgotten about his promise spoke volumes about how important he had become to her.

The one who had saved her on that day when she had given up on everything and had resigned herself to her bitter fate had become the very thing which kept her from crumbling once more.

He had become the bright hope of her future, her reason for living, as well as the one who had rescued her from despair itself.

She couldn't lose something like that. Someone like him. A person who had given her a hope to latch onto.

Yet, she couldn't help but dread that horrific possibility which had taken root inside her mind as soon as she had laid her eyes upon that damned door.

Did he act like that only because he didn't know about what she had done? Would he leave her once again alone with her dark and despairing future if he were to find out about what she had done?

These were the questions which plagued her mind, the questions about which she didn't even want to think, let alone dare and try to answer.

However, a treacherous part of her mind, that small voice which always seemed to take pleasure in tormenting her by always planting the seeds of doubt in her thoughts, had decided to answer these forbidden questions in her stead.

' _Don't delude yourself, Yuno. Of course that he had acted like that because he knew nothing about what you had done'_ the voice spoke in contempt. _'After all, who would have willingly approached a murderer? Better yet, who would even love one? And even better, who would actually want to marry one?'_ the voice laughed as it spoke its next words. _'I'll tell you. No one. So you can be sure that he will leave you as soon as he finds out about your little secret, Yuno'_ another derisive laugh echoed through her mind. _'He will leave you, and you will never see him again. Then, you will once again be alone, with nothing left to make you suf—'_

The voice inside Yuno's mind didn't seem to be able to finish as it was suddenly interrupted when the rose haired girl began chanting.

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" she yelled, clutching her head seemingly in pain as she dug her nails in the soft flesh of her skull until they managed to draw blood. "Leave me alone!" she shook her head wildly in an attempt to drive away the tormenting voice. "I don't want to hear from you anymore! Go away!"

The young girl continued to cradle her head for a few more moments, until she eventually let go when she was sure that no foul voice was plaguing her mind anymore with its stabbing words.

Taking a few deep breaths, Yuno succeeded in calming herself down and resumed her walk along the hallway as she tried to put her thoughts back in order.

She remembered that she had intended to prepare breakfast, however, most of her appetite was gone by now due to the previously unpleasant occurrence.

Yet, she knew that she had to eat if she wanted to have enough energy for her date.

And so, with less enthusiasm and visibly more anxiety and nervousness than before, Yuno continued her walk to the kitchen as she tried to take her mind away from the recent development, as well as attempt to cheer herself up by thinking about her upcoming meeting with the white haired young man.

####

 **2005/05/18 11:55 [Sakurami City]**

Slender hands pulled at the hem of a white chemise in order to straighten the nonexistent crinkles for the umpteenth time during the past few minutes as Yuno stopped from her walking in front of a glass door.

She quickly checked her phone, noting that its digital clock indicated _11:56_ , before she once again attempted to fix her outfit, this time her light red jacket, which she had thought that had fallen a little off her shoulders.

Moments later, she opened the door in front of her and walked inside the café where she had been asked to come, her hands once again almost involuntarily attempting to straighten the blue pleated skirt that she was wearing.

Taking several steps inside the small restaurant, the rose haired girl began surveying her surroundings as she searched for a certain someone.

The café seemed to be decorated in a very elegant and quite expensive looking fashion, however, for the young girl there seemed to be more pressing matters which required attention, so she didn't exactly pay too much mind to the more miscellaneous of things.

Her gaze quickly swept over the many tables that were spread around the room, subsequently forgoing them as soon as she realized that they were either vacant, or not occupied by the one whom she was looking for.

She continued to inspect the inside of the restaurant, feeling increasingly restless and anxious as she didn't seem to be able to locate the one whom she sought.

A few moments later, most of Yuno's nervousness vanished as her cerise eyes had finally managed to find their target, however, she felt her heart flutter the moment her gaze was returned by a pair of pale orbs.

Red dusting quickly spread over her peach colored cheeks as the young man with snow colored hair offered her a beckoning smile, his eyes trailing from her form back to an empty spot across from him at the two-person table that he was currently occupying.

The rose haired girl's feet seemed to act on their own accord as they took her to the corner of the café, where the young man was waiting for her with his charming smile still present on his ethereal features.

As soon as she reached the table, her blush seemed to spread over even more of her face when she saw the young man suddenly stand up from his chair as he walked to the empty seat across the table.

Yuno tried to ignore the heat which was suffusing her cheeks and seated herself on the chair that the young man had previously pulled for her as she watched him return to his spot at the table.

A few more moments had passed in silence while the rose haired girl tried to calm her wildly beating heart, as well as regain her composure which had been all over the place ever since she had first locked eyes with the person standing across from her at the table.

"I am glad that you have come, young lady" the white haired young man spoke in a pleasant tone, getting the girl's attention as she locked eyes with him once again.

This time, however, her cheeks didn't become as rosy as the first time, as she seemed to be able to keep herself together much better under his almost enchanting gaze.

"Thank you for the invitation, mister... um..." her voice trailed off as suddenly and in a rather awkward moment she was reminded that she still did not know the name of the person sitting at the other end of the table.

Just as Yuno was yet again going through the initial stages of a rather vivid blushing, this time however out of embarrassment, she was interrupted upon hearing the young man address her in a slightly apologetic tone.

"Ah, it seems that I have yet to introduce myself, young lady, and for that I apologize" he spoke with a slight inclination of his head. "My name is Ōtsutsuki Naruto, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

The young girl took a few seconds to think about what unusual of a name this young man possessed, wondering if perhaps he was of a noble descent or even royalty, however, she cut her musings short when she realized that she had to respond to his introduction with her own.

"It's alright, Naruto-san" the rose haired girl politely replied a moment later, before she also introduced herself. "My name is Gasai Yuno, and I'm glad to have met you too."

Actually, she was a lot more than glad, but she couldn't tell him that, or at least not yet, lest she came off as creepy or even worse, desperate.

If she were to somehow make him dislike her, then she didn't know what she would do.

She couldn't possibly lose this hope that she had been given. She couldn't lose _him_. That was simply unthinkable, and she abhorred the mere idea of it happening.

The young girl's rather dismal thoughts were brought to a halt upon hearing Naruto reply to her previous words.

"Ah, what a lovely name" the young man complimented with a charming smile that instantly brought the heat back to Yuno's cheeks. "I guess that from now on I shall address you as such, instead of young lady. Is that alright with you, Yuno?"

The blushing girl felt a pleasant shiver crawl up her spine the moment she heard the way he had spoken her name. His voice had been so smooth and sweet to her ears, that it had taken him once more addressing her in order to break her out of her short reverie.

"Oh, and please call me Naruto" he added, his lips slowly forming into another little smile. "I believe that after our last encounter, you are well entitled to refer to me in such a manner, no?"

His pale eyes slowly travelled from the girl's face to the golden accessory on her left ring finger, prompting her to once again develop a prominent red dusting on her cheeks as soon as she realized what he had implied with both his gesture and his previous words.

"S-Sure, Naruto" Yuno replied while inwardly yelling at herself for that small waver in her voice.

"Well, then I believe that we should order something, since it is already past noon and you must be quite famished" Naruto spoke as he picked up the menu from the table in front of him.

The rose haired girl nodded and mimicked his previous gesture, however, as soon as she opened the menu and glanced at the listing of items, her eyes visibly widened in shock.

The young man must have noticed this reaction on her part as he immediately spoke in a reassuring tone.

"Do not fret about such trivialities, Yuno" he waved his hand dismissively as he glanced at the menu in her hands. "Order whatever you wish and leave the rest to me" his eyes then sought hers once more. "Alright?"

The girl looked like she might have wanted to argue, however, as soon as she made eye contact with him, she faltered and quickly hid her face with the menu that she was holding as she pretended to closely read its content.

Naruto merely let an amused smile grace his lips as he returned his gaze to his own menu and began skimming through it.

A couple minutes had passed in silence, before the young man addressed the girl across from him once again.

"So, have you decided what you would like to order?"

The young girl placed her menu on the table and gave him a shy look.

"Um... I would like to try the confit of salmon with apple, cucumber and vanilla lemongrass."

"Of course" Naruto replied with a smile, after which he signaled for the waiter to come to their table.

As soon as the waiter arrived, both of them gave their orders to the young lad that had come to serve them, with Yuno being the first to speak as she ordered her salmon based dish, being followed by Naruto who had decided to order a Chicken Caesar.

He might not need sustenance anymore ever since his Ascension, however, that did not mean he could not enjoy some finely prepared food.

But besides that, it would appear suspicious if he were to not eat anything for the entire day, and not even become hungry as a consequence.

He had to keep some appearances, after all. Or at least for a while, anyway.

Upon the waiter's departure, another period of silence settled upon the duo as they waited for their orders to arrive.

During this time, the young man observed the rose haired girl in front of him as she seemed to be fidgeting every now and then in what he had surmised to be nervousness.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked in a concerned tone as he glanced at the slightly anxious looking girl. "If there is anything which displeases you, then please do not hesitate to tell me. I shall make sure that it is properly taken care of."

Yuno felt her heart flutter once again upon hearing how concerned the young man was for her, however, that didn't seem to be enough to completely free her of all her anxiety.

Honestly, she felt like she should be waking up at any point from this wonderful dream and find herself back at her home, alone with her dead parents and the tormenting voice inside her head.

However, the seconds continued to pass, and she didn't seem to be waking up. Not even after she had pinched herself a few times.

So then, it meant that she wasn't dreaming and that she didn't have any reason to be afraid and doubt herself anymore.

And yet, even with her own reassurances, it didn't seem to be enough.

She needed more.

She wanted to hear the words coming from his mouth.

Only then she would finally get her peace of mind.

Yuno shyly glanced at the snow haired young man seated in front of her and addressed him, her voice coming a little too meek for her tastes, but given her previous inner turmoil, she couldn't blame herself for it.

"Naruto..." her words trailed off as she swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. "This is a date, right?"

Hearing this, the young man slightly rose a nonexistent eyebrow, causing the girl to feel even more nervous.

"Of course this is a date, Yuno" he promptly replied as if it had been something obvious from the very beginning.

The moment she heard his words and how unhesitating his tone had been when he had voiced them, all of the previous anxiety had left the rose haired girl and a relieved smile settled on her lips.

Despite knowing that she shouldn't have doubted him, especially not after he had given her that ring, the incident from a few hours ago had managed to create enough discord within her mind that it had made her doubt almost everything.

However, now that she had been given this reassurance, she once again felt free of doubt and with her mind at peace.

Something which was immediately reflected in her abruptly changed demeanor.

"Okay!" she replied, a jubilant smile now forming on her face.

Naruto simply gave a smile of his own at her reaction, before his attention was subsequently brought to the waiter who had returned with their orders.

After their dishes had been placed in front of them, both of the table's occupants began eating in relative silence as they only made the occasional remark about the tasty food which they had been served with, or other small talk involving mundane topics.

As soon as they had finished their meal, the white haired young man signaled for the waiter to bring their bill, since it was a given that they wouldn't be spending their entire day in that café.

They had already spent a full hour for their lunch, and there were many more things which the young man had planned for the day.

After giving the money for their food, as well as a generous tip to the young lad who had served them, a smiling Naruto and a cheerful looking Yuno had stood up from their table, before they exited the small restaurant.

####

Walking along the street with Naruto several feet in front of her, a cheerful looking Yuno was slowly but surely closing in the gap between the two of them.

After they had left the café, she had lagged a little behind due to her momentarily stopping to admire the young man's sweeping snow-white hair that gently swayed with his every step, but as soon as she had snapped out of her reverie, the rose haired girl instantly darted away from her spot.

Taking one petite little step after the other, Yuno quickly caught up to the young man who didn't seem to have been hurrying at all as he simply trod on the sidewalk with a dignified elegance in his every stride.

Getting nearer to him, she kept her pace until she was once again by his side, moment when she slowly inched closer to him, until her right pinky finger ghosted by Naruto's left hand.

Feeling emboldened by her previous experience during their stay at the café, Yuno hooked her pinky around the young man's own, before she glanced at his face just in time to notice the beginning of a small smile on his lips.

However, she didn't seem to have the time to ponder its meaning, for not even a moment later, the young girl's thoughts were brought to a halt when with a swift and deft move, Naruto immediately clasped the entirety of her slender hand, holding it within the warm embrace of his own.

A prominent dusting of crimson quickly spread over Yuno's cheeks as soon as she registered the young man's action, moment when her eyes were also averted from his amused ones as she gazed at the street in front of her in an attempt to hide her abashment.

For the next few minutes, Naruto and Yuno continued their walk in silence, until they finally reached what appeared to be a park, moment when the young man decided to break the silence.

"What do you say about a short stroll through the park?" he asked as he glanced at the girl whose hand he was still holding.

She returned his gaze and replied with a smile, "Sure, let's go."

And with this, the young girl seemed to take the lead for the moment, increasing her pace a little as she entered the park with an amused looking Naruto right beside her.

The young duo continued their walk among the various verdant colors which composed most of their scenery, admiring some of the vegetation around them.

Suddenly, the rose haired girl decided to ask something which had been making her curious for the past few minutes.

"Hey, Naruto" she spoke as she glanced at the pitch black glove which covered the young man's left hand. "Why do you wear a glove when it's so warm outside? And why just on one hand?"

This question seemed to quickly get Naruto's attention as he immediately shifted his gaze from the many old trees that he had previously been gazing at and regarded the young girl with a thoughtful look etched on his face as he contemplated her words.

"It is because I have quite the sentimental attachment to this glove" he replied a few moments later. "It has been the first gift that my father had given me, and over the years I have come to treasure it greatly" his lips formed into a fond smile. "This glove had been made just for me, and it will always be with me. Even if everything else were to abandon me, I know that this glove would always remain by my side."

Following the young man's words, another period of comfortable silence enveloped the pair as they each seemed to have once again returned to their own thoughts, with Naruto musing on the mystery that was walking beside him, while Yuno pondered on the enigmatic response that she had been given by the one whom had his hand entwined with hers, as well as whether it had been just her imagination, or the ebon glove on his hand had actually given a faint purr after he had finished speaking.

####

Several minutes later, the young duo had eventually reached the other side of the park, moment when Naruto's sight quickly swept over the buildings across the busy street as he seemed to be surveying it for something specific.

A moment later, he turned his head to look at the rose haired girl walking by his side and spoke.

"How about we go to a theatre now?"

Yuno seemed to ponder the suggestion for a few moments, before she replied in a cheerful tone.

"Sure, but what play are we going to see?"

The young man's pale eyes once more focused on the theatre which could be seen several blocks away to the left on the other side of the street as he analyzed it with more depth than the first time when he had only given it a fleeting look.

Despite the possibility of enhancing his sight to unbelievable degrees, his regular visual prowess proved to be sharp enough to perceive all of the important details that could be seen displayed on the outside of the building.

After reading the contents of a poster that was placed next to the entrance to the building, Naruto glanced at the wristwatch on his right hand, before he once again returned his gaze upon Yuno.

"From what I know, there is one entitled _The Misanthrope_ scheduled to play during this afternoon, more specifically at two o'clock" he informed. "So, if we are to go now, we should be able to get there in time to purchase the tickets for it."

"Okay, Naruto" the rose haired girl agreed a moment later, sounding quite eager. And why would she not be? Besides this being a great occasion for her to spend more time closer to the young man who had changed her life so much, she also found herself rather intrigued by the title of the play itself. It sounded like it would be a very interesting play, and that was enough to spurn much of her curiosity.

Yuno's train of thoughts seemed to end just in time for her to register Naruto speaking once again as he pointed to his left, at a fairly large building which could be seen in the distance on the other side of the street.

"Alright then, but we will have to increase our pace a little just to be sure that we make it in due time to get the tickets" he said as he began walking at a slightly quickened pace.

The young girl next to him merely gave a cheerful _hum_ in response as she sped up as well, her anticipation appearing to be quite the evident thing from the slight spring that she was putting behind her every step, as well as from the merry smile on her face.

####

The young pair had managed to arrive in time to buy some of the last tickets available and were now heading toward the place where the play would be taking place.

They had around a quarter of an hour to get there and find their seats, however, they didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry, because that was more than enough time, given the fact that they were only a few feet away from the doors behind which lay their destination.

Upon entering the large room, they quickly found their spots, two seats at the left edge of the third row from the front, and subsequently occupied them as they waited for the show to commence.

Yuno seemed to be rather busy sending subtle yet menacing glares toward every person of the female gender who was staring at the young man next to her for more than a few seconds, whereas Naruto was simply watching the rose haired girl with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Soon the lights flickered off and the curtain began to rise, as the preparations for the play seemed to be reaching their end.

Whatever whispering that could still be heard throughout the hall quickly faded as the spectators stopped talking among themselves and instead focused on the show which was about to start.

Naruto and Yuno seemed to have also shifted their focus, since they were now looking at the halfway lifted curtain with interest as they waited for the play to begin.

A few moments later, and the two actors present on the stage behind the curtain were fully revealed to the public as the show seemed to finally begin.

Several minutes later, most members of the audience were already watching the play with interest visible on their faces, however, amongst them, a young man with snow-white hair had an amused smile playing on his lips as he continued to watch the unfolding scene.

He was quite glad that he had chosen this particular play, because it had turned out to be well within his expectations, surprising even.

A comedy with strong satirical connotations which highlighted the fact that humans are fundamentally flawed creatures.

The young man felt the urge to chuckle.

The humans might be hopeless and pathetic, but at least they knew how to be amusing.

Managing to hold in his mirth, Naruto briefly glanced out of the corner of his eye at the young girl who was sitting next to him.

He slightly quirked an eyebrow when he noticed the thoughtful and rather intense expression on her face, however, decided not to disrupt her musings and simply smiled as he continued to watch the play as well.

His delicate flower seemed to be blooming faster with each passing day, and this only served to further captivate him. He was getting more and more eager to see the exquisite beauty which lay hidden deep beneath.

Finishing his train of thought, the young man with snowy hair returned most of his attention on the play before him and soon found himself once again amused by the dark and dry humor that was being exposed by it.

This piece brilliantly coincided with his recent revelation, and that only made it so much more amusing.

Time continued to fly by as the actors did their number on the stage, and soon the play came to an end.

Most of the audience was either on their way to the exit or was preparing to leave, however, there seemed to be a little exception to this.

Naruto was still occupying his seat, calmly and silently observing the rose haired girl next to him.

For the past few minutes, she seemed to have fallen deeper and deeper within her thoughts, and the young man had decided to wait for her to finish her introspection, since he was very well aware of how important something like that was.

He knew that the play they had just watched, despite being very amusing through its dark humor and satire, could also provoke some deep thought within the minds of those whose wisdom exceeded a certain threshold.

Which is why he actually found himself quite curious and eager to see how the lovely young lady seated next to him would react to the deeper meanings hidden within the play.

Yuno, on the other hand, had spent most of the time toward the end of the play pondering on the things that she had realized from watching it.

She started by asking herself questions about the whole suffering that she had been through ever since the deaths of her parents, and whether should she truly care about all of that when she had been created from the very beginning—by god, if he actually existed—to be an imperfect entity?

Were there truly any reasons to her worries?

If morality and the various things associated to it are merely a presentation of humanity, and not what they are, but what they pretend to be, then why should she let herself be haunted and consumed by them?

The more Yuno thought about these things, the closer she got to her conclusion.

Her acts did not mean the end of the world.

The world still went went on, and she could still find her happiness, as long as she did not act as society wished for her to be.

That notion alone seemed to be enough to comfort the rose haired girl, and the relief that soon followed brought several tears which slowly made their way down her cheeks.

However, before she could bring her own hands to wipe away the moisture from her eyes and off her cheeks, she felt another pair of hands brush against her delicate skin as they gently wiped the tears from her beautiful face.

When her eyes focused on the owner of said hands, she was met with the ethereal visage of the snow haired young man who had played such a crucial role in her life so far, and was still playing one, whether he was aware of it or not.

Despite having saved her life not only once, but twice, his simple presence around her—and then with her—had been what had kept her from falling apart when she had been overwhelmed by her depression.

He had done so much for her without even knowing anything about who she was, and if that hadn't already been more than enough, then to her incredible surprise and delight, he had actually proposed to her, with the ring on her left hand being a testament to that—to their engagement.

Ending her musings, Yuno returned her gaze upon the young man's face as she gave him a small smile, which perfectly conveyed her newfound resolve.

Seeing this, Naruto realized that she must be done with her pondering, so he decided to give her a little more reassurance as well as confidence that her conclusion was indeed the desired one.

"I am glad that you have realized how different you are from the sheep around you" he spoke with discernible amounts of praise in his tone. "Yet, know that you are not merely a wolf" he paused briefly as he gave a smile of his own, however, his was more on the proud and delighted side. "No, you are so much more than that, Yuno" his lips stretched further. "You are unique."

As soon as she registered his words, the rose haired girl first wondered what was with him and the mysteriousness that he often employed when speaking and acting, but that thought seemed to be rather short lived as the true meaning of his words hit her rather quick.

And then, she once again found herself wondering, this time however about how had he managed to figure out what she had been so deep in thought about.

Still, even that didn't last for long, because she soon reached the last words that he had said to her.

Red dusting quickly spread over her cheeks as she replayed his last words in her mind.

He had called her unique!

Yuno's heart started beating faster in her chest when she understood the implications of those words. She felt so happy to hear him say those words to her, and she felt even happier to know that he thought of her in such a way.

Her thoughts were brought to a stop when she heard him address her again.

"Shall we get going?" Naruto asked. "There are a few more places which I would like for you to see."

Yuno simply nodded at him with a smile on her face, before she stood up from her seat and took a couple steps to the right, until she got on the aisle.

The snow haired man also stood up, and then walked to the rose haired girl, gently clasping her slender hand in his own, before both of them began walking toward the exit.

####

As he was walking on the sidewalk alongside Yuno, Naruto's attention was briefly brought to a large screen placed on a building across the street when it suddenly changed its content from a generic commercial to a news-oriented message.

 _More survivors had been found throughout Indonesia after an unprecedented catastrophe had devastated the country last week. The causes of this disaster are still mostly unknown; currently, scientists all around the world are engaged in the difficult process of deciphering this catastrophic phenomenon. In the meantime, various humanitarian organizations are raising funds in order to aid the survivors of this disaster, and in the future allow Indonesia to stand tall again. You can also offer support by texting INDONESIA at 55555. Your ¥1000 can make a difference._

Not appearing to be the least concerned about what he had just read, the white haired young man returned his gaze on the scenery in front of him as he resumed his thoughts pertaining to the development of the ongoing date between him and the young girl that was walking by his side.

Several minutes later, Naruto glanced at Yuno, noting how she seemed to be lost within her thoughts while having a faint smile on her face, and spoke.

"What do you say about a visit to the aquarium?"

The question quickly got the rose haired girl's attention as she immediately ceased her musing and glanced back at the snow haired young man.

"Sure!" she answered almost instantly.

Hearing her give such an enthusiastic reply, Naruto found himself smiling as well.

"Alright then."

Following that, the young pair walked in relative silence for the next few minutes, before they finally arrived at their destination.

After paying for their entrance fees, Naruto entered the aquarium with Yuno close next to him as they began glancing around themselves at the many tanks filled with countless exhibits of various species.

"What do you think of those sharks, Naruto?" the rose haired girl asked with a cheerful smile as she pointed at a large tank to her left. "Aren't they lively?"

Naruto glanced in the direction where Yuno was pointing and took in the image of the water tank filled with various shark species as he studied them for a few seconds.

Despite him not understanding how such a fascination with caged animals had come into existence, he had to admit that observing these specimens could prove to be rather interesting and entertaining.

"They are, but I think that those jellyfish over there are even more lively and interesting" he replied as he pointed at another tank at the end of the hallway.

"Really?" the rose haired girl asked as she looked at the opaque tank where the young man had pointed at. "Then let's go and see."

Naruto simply smiled and followed Yuno as they both walked in front of a round window through which the contents of the tank could be seen.

"Wow, Naruto, you were right!" the young girl spoke in excitement as she admired the many jellyfish that were swimming inside the illuminated tank. "They are like small fireworks."

"I'm glad that you are enjoying this" the white haired young man spoke as he looked at the smiling face of his date, before he joined her in looking at the jellyfish as well.

They spent a couple more minutes looking at the tank with jellyfish, after which they continued with their tour.

Their next stop seemed to be one where you could touch the live exhibits as they were held in smaller, open tanks.

The young pair walked next to the aligned tanks in the middle of the room and glanced at the exhibits inside of them.

"That's a ray!" Yuno spoke in excitement as she reached to touch it, however, after petting it for a few moments, she quickly retracted her hand. "Okay, that's too slimy for me."

Hearing this Naruto let out a light chuckle.

"Then you should try those cat-sharks instead. They don't produce mucus on their skin."

Yuno did as the young man had suggested and began petting the backside of a cat-shark with two fingers.

"Wow, their skin is very soft" she remarked as she continued to pet the little creature.

After a few more moments of petting, Yuno brought her hand out of the tank and dried it off with a napkin that Naruto had offered her.

"Thank you, Naruto."

"You are welcome" the young man replied as he took back the used napkin and placed it in a pocket of his coat, before he addressed the girl standing next to him once more. "Say, Yuno, would you like to have dinner now? This place also has a restaurant, so we could eat here."

"Okay."

Following her response, the young duo entwined their hands once again as they exited the room and headed toward the place where the restaurant was located.

####

Their dinner had lasted for about thirty minutes, and by the time they left the restaurant, the time was already 17:00.

"How about we conclude our date with a ride in the Ferris wheel?" Naruto suddenly asked the rose haired girl whose hand he was holding as the two of them walked along the main hallway of the aquarium. "There is one very close to this place, and we could get there just in time for a ride before it closes."

As soon as Yuno heard his proposal she immediately agreed.

"Sure, Naruto, I'd love to" she spoke with a faint coloring on her cheeks as she was already imagining herself sitting in front of Naruto while they were inside the small cabin of the Ferris wheel.

The young man with snow colored hair merely smiled in return as he gazed at the slightly blushing face of the girl beside him.

This, however, had the effect of causing her own blush to grow in intensity, prompting her to avert her eyes from his mesmerizing gaze as she looked at the hall in front of her.

Following this turn of events, they continued their walk in silence, until a voice suddenly called out to them, more specifically to the rose haired girl.

"Hey, Yuno" a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair called from their left.

Not bothering to even regard the girl who had previously addressed her, Yuno continued to walk alongside Naruto at a moderate pace toward the end of the hallway.

Seeing this, the blonde girl as well as the two others who were accompanying her developed annoyed expressions as they watched Yuno and the extremely handsome young man pass by them without even acknowledging their presence.

A moment later, they decided to call for her at the same time thinking that she would respond to them.

"Yuno!" the trio of girls chorused together, however, just as the last time, they got no response.

At this, another girl from the trio, one with waist-long maroon hair, felt her previous annoyance spike directly to anger as she glared at the retreating form of the rose haired girl who was still ignoring her.

Her expression quickly became livid as her eyes were glaring bloody daggers at the retreating girl's back, but she was slightly surprised when she noticed the young man with white colored hair slowly turn his head and glance at her.

Her surprise, however, didn't seem to last for too long, as the handsome young man simply glanced at her for a couple moments, before he promptly dismissed her presence as one would do to an insignificant insect and returned his gaze at the hall in front of him.

A moment later, her previous anger returned tenfold, but this time it was also accompanied by intense jealousy as the girl watched her classmate and her apparent boyfriend exit the aquarium.

####

' _It seems that Alduin had been right about those three...'_ Naruto thought while walking toward the location of the Ferris wheel with Yuno by his side.

Initially, he had deemed those three as irrelevant after he had seen how Yuno didn't seem to be willing to even acknowledge their presence, however, the moment when that maroon haired girl had started leaking killing intent, albeit unconsciously and in amounts that wouldn't even come close to making him sneeze, he had decided to revise his previous assessment.

So, he had given that little girl a warning in the form of a look which should have perfectly conveyed how much of an insect she was in his eyes.

Then he quickly dismissed her insignificant existence as he was reminded of a memory that he had received from Alduin, which contained more information on them.

However, he didn't seem to give too much attention to that either, since he could care less about whatever petty jealousies those girls entertained.

If they were actually foolish enough to try anything, then he would deal with them at that point. Until then, though, they were as much of a concern to him as was the dirt below his feet.

Bringing his current train of thought to an end, the snow haired young man focused back on his walk with Yuno, and it seemed to have been just in time as they were only a few feet away from their destination.

Naruto quickly paid the entry fee, before he and Yuno entered the small cabin of the Ferris wheel and seated themselves one across from the other as they waited for the wheel to be put in motion.

A few moments later, the door to their cabin was closed and soon enough the cabin itself started moving.

They spent the first couple minutes looking outside the windows, most likely admiring the scenery, however, the moment they returned their gazes inside the cabin, their eyes met and remained locked.

Pale and cerise orbs stared one into the other as a thoughtful silence seemed to have enveloped the two occupants of the cabin.

After several moments, the young man with snow-white hair decided to break the silence and addressed the young girl sitting in front of him.

"Yuno, the day I saved you, what was on your mind?"

This question seemed to catch the rose haired girl completely off guard, and she found herself wondering what to say as she replayed the soft spoken words in her mind.

Could she tell him that on that day she had simply lost all hope? That she was willing to give up her very life?

She wasn't sure if she could say such a thing to him, someone whom seemed to be so strong, so wise, so... perfect.

What would he think of her if she were to tell him that she had been willing to let herself die, because living no longer held any meaning to her, except from bringing her pain and suffering?

He would sure think of her as pathetic for having such a reasoning.

And even if she told him that, what would she say if he were to ask her for the cause to her sorrows and despair? Could she tell him that the reason for all of that had been her killing her own parents?

...She didn't think that she could.

In the end, it all seemed to be just like the voice in her head had told her. If he were to find out about what she had done, then she would definitely lose him forever...

And she couldn't let something like that happen, because it would mean that she would lose her very will to live.

If the one who had become her hope in life were to disappear... then she was certain that she would also follow shortly after.

And yet... she could not lie to him. She could not possibly lie to the one who had given her so much happiness without asking for anything in return.

Which was why she did not know what to do—what to say.

What could she possibly say in order to avoid all of these dreadful outcomes?

Yuno's thoughts were brought to a sudden stop as soon as an idea entered her mind.

It was an idea which had quickly brought her to the realization that there might be a way for her to get out of this situation, and the more she considered this option, the more she believed that it would work.

"Naruto, on that day, why did you save me?"

If she could not answer the question, then all that she had to do was to give him a question of her own, one which hopefully would bring him in the same situation as her.

That way, if neither of them would be able to answer the other's question, then the questions themselves would soon fade out of importance.

It was the perfect solution.

But besides all of that, she was honestly curious.

She wanted to know what had prompted such a wonderful person to become her own prince charming. She wanted to know what had made him decide to save her that day. She wanted to know why had a complete stranger such as him took her away from death's grasp on that day.

As Yuno seemed to have once again immersed herself in her thoughts, the snow haired young man across from her appeared to be in quite the similar situation himself.

The reason why Naruto had asked that question was because of this rose haired mystery who had roused his interest so much that he could barely reign it in.

So, he had wanted to find out more about her.

He wanted to find out more about this young lady who had succeeded in captivating him to such an extent. He wanted to learn more about this lovely and delicate flower who had managed to have such an impact on his beliefs... on his life.

However, he had never expected her to riposte with a question of her own. And what a beautifully chosen question had that been!

Naruto had to admit that her question had been marvelous. Not only did it deflect his own, but it also brought him to a deep contemplation.

After all, he could not tell her—his beautiful flower—that he had saved her because at that time he had found her to be an interesting enough subject to observe in something akin to a science project.

He could not possibly tell her such a thing, for he could not bear to see her look at him in disgust. Not when he had come to care about her to such a degree. Not when he had come to treasure her—his beautiful and promising pearl—he could not fathom telling her something which would bring her any hurt.

Yet, he could not lie to her either. He could not possibly lie to someone who he saw in such a distinctively brilliant light. Not to mention the fact that it was not even in his very nature to tell a lie.

Yes, he could intentionally omit details if it suited him, give only parts of the real truth if necessary, or even change his words in a way that it would turn whatever he said into complicated riddles, however, he could never say an outright lie.

That was simply something which stood far below him as he was just too dignified by his very nature to stoop himself to such a pathetic level.

And that was the reason for why, right now, he did not know what to do.

He could not deflect the question, for it had already been turned against him, and he could not lie either, because he could not bring himself to do such a thing to her.

So, in the end, he simply smiled.

He smiled at her as he once again felt like laughing at how this young lady had managed to put him in such a predicament.

Honestly, for him, who was someone with a wisdom beyond mortal comprehension, to be played in such a manner by a young lady was incredibly amusing.

And apparently, it seemed to be amusing for her as well, since at some point he had noticed that she must have either also realized to what extent she had played him, or had simply saw him smile like an idiot and found it funny, because she was smiling as well.

He continued to gaze at her smiling face for a few more moments, his own smile remaining in place, however, that was more of a decoy, for beneath it he was hiding the promise of a truly mischievous comeback.

It was one thing for her to be proud of her witty retorts for a little while, but straight out smiling into his face for more than one minute was a bit much.

A bit too much, if he were to actually say it.

After all, he had a dignified status to uphold, and delicate flower or not, he would not let her openly make fun of him like that.

So, with that last thought in mind, Naruto started to slowly lean in forward as he approached the smiling face of the rose haired girl with his own.

At first, Yuno had shown a little confusion on her face as she had wondered why the young man was leaning in closer to her, however, after a few moments, she seemed to realize what the reason might be.

A fiery blush quickly covered her peach colored cheeks as her cerise eyes were staring deeply into the pale ones which were getting closer and closer to her with every passing second.

All thoughts seemed to momentarily leave the young girl's mind as they were all replaced with anticipation to what she believed to be coming.

When the young man's ethereal face was only centimeters apart from her, Yuno unconsciously closed her eyes and slightly parted her soft and moist lips as she prepared for what was to come next.

Not even a second later, she felt something equally soft press gently against the left corner of her mouth, moment when a wave of pleasant heat surged through her being.

Despite the kiss not being exactly what she had envisioned it to be, it had still felt wonderful to her and she would treasure it for the rest of her life.

With the memory of her first kiss still very fresh in mind, Yuno slowly opened her eyes and was met with the sight of a smirking young man who had already returned to his seat.

The rose haired girl felt her blush increase in intensity the moment when they locked gazes once again and she quickly averted her eyes and looked out the window as she tried to regather her composure.

However, before she could have completely done so, overcome with emotion as she had been, she didn't realize when a few words had escaped her mouth in barely a whisper as she had unconsciously voiced the thoughts which her mind seemed to be revolving around.

"Nothing else matters anymore..." Yuno breathed out in less than a whisper as her mind seemed to be still caught up in a myriad of emotions and thoughts. "I have hope now... So... so much hope..."

Despite her spoken words being completely inaudible to anyone but her, the snow haired young man seated across from her had still perfectly heard them.

And even if that wouldn't have been the case, the fact that he had also read her lips, meant that regardless of him having been able or not to hear what she had said, he would have still known it.

His previous smirk quickly faded as he began contemplating the meaning of her words.

It did not take him too long to figure out what she had meant, and when he did that, the answer to his question became obvious.

Despair.

She had been so drowned in despair that she had been willing to forego her life in order to get away from that. But she had somehow managed to overcome all of that after he had saved her, and from that point onward, he had become her hope in life.

That was the answer to his question, and yet, despite having figured it out, all it did was to raise even more questions in his mind.

And as much as he wanted to find the answers to them, he knew that he could not push her into telling him.

Not when it was so obvious that she had gone to such lengths to avoid answering him in the first place.

Which was why he had to let this flow naturally, and wait for her to become comfortable enough to tell him on her own. Or at least wait until he possessed more information on the subject, so that he would be able to solve the puzzle without intruding on her privacy.

After all, he was not a crude individual by his very nature. He would always assess before acting. Observe before committing. Analyze before deciding.

Until then, he would simply gather more information by continuing to observe his precious flower as she got closer and closer to the moment of her blossoming.

Several moments later, both Naruto and Yuno had been brought out of their musings when the cabin came to an abrupt stop.

As their ride had finally come to an end, the door to their cabin was soon opened, and the young duo briefly shared a look before they stood up and left the gondola.

"Well, it has been a wonderful date" the young man spoke with a smile as he glanced at the rose haired girl standing beside him.

"Yes, it has" Yuno replied with a smile of her own. "I've enjoyed every second of it."

"I'm glad..." he voiced softly, his words trailing in the wind as he once again grasped the young girl's hand in his own.

A moment later, and the both of them began walking toward the exit of the park, their destination being the girl's house, since Naruto felt that it was only fitting for their date to be concluded with him escorting Yuno to her home.

####

"Thank you for walking me home, Naruto" Yuno spoke as she stood on the walkway, in front of the entrance to her courtyard.

"It has been my pleasure" Naruto replied with a smile which brought a faint blush on the rose haired girl's cheeks.

The white haired young man spent the next few moments observing the house that could be seen standing tall behind the walls which marked the boundaries of the property.

The house itself seemed to be quite spacious and occupied most of the yard.

It was built after a traditional Japanese design and its appearance easily hinted toward the financial status of its owners.

Naruto's attention was brought back to the young girl standing a few feet away from him when he heard her voice.

"Um..." Yuno began as a sudden shyness seemed to overcome her. "Can I... um... can I have your phone number?" she asked as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

Hearing her request, the young man found himself being faced with quite the conundrum.

It was not like he did not want to give her his phone number.

No. That was not it.

The real problem was the fact that he did not possess such a thing.

After all, why would he even need one? What use would such a device have for him, who could easily communicate through telepathy for example.

Still, that did not change the fact that he had been asked for his phone number, a very pertinent request if he were to say, since it was rather obvious as to why the young lady desired such a thing.

She most likely wished to possess a means to contacting him whenever they would be apart. And that in itself was something that Naruto would gladly provide.

Actually, he had already done it and so much more, however, he could not reveal it yet.

The ring that he had given her the day before would remain in her eyes just that—a ring—for the time being.

His delicate flower had to wait a little longer for him to explain certain things to her as he did not feel comfortable enough yet to reveal his origins to her.

Their bond would have to grow a little more until he finally decided to do that.

Which meant that for the time being he had to go with an alternative. Something which would not hint at his otherworldly origins. The cellphone, that was.

Easier said than done, however.

Still, that was most likely because he really did not wish to bother with all of the odd gadgets that his _Asura Path_ was capable of producing.

No, seriously, some of the things that he was able to create through his Asura Path had managed to unsettle even him. And that definitely said something when one of his other forms was that of an eldritch abomination that could be best described as pure nightmare fuel in more modern terms.

But besides that, it would be terribly counterproductive to his previous decision regarding his true identity if he were to actually grow a mobile phone from his palm.

So, in the end, he would have to take the 'normal' route.

Which would be him coming with a phone number from the top of his head and then quickly appropriating a cellphone, all the while making sure that his forged number would be assigned to said mobile phone.

As soon as he finished his train of thought, Naruto retrieved a pencil from one of the pockets of his coat, as well as a piece of paper from his other pocket and began scribbling on it.

The perks of omnipotence were definitely great in circumstances such as these.

After writing down his soon-to-be real phone number, the young man offered the small piece of paper to the rose haired girl in front of him, who happily accepted it with a faint blush on her face.

Yuno quickly pocketed the piece of paper, before she glanced once again at Naruto's ethereal visage, her blush visibly intensifying as a particular thought entered her mind.

Perfectly aware of the heat which was slowly suffusing her cheeks, the young girl took a few steps until she stood only inches apart from the young man, before she looked once more at his face.

She felt her heart start beating faster and faster as she was slowly leaning forward, her lips eventually touching the pale flesh of his face, when she finally pressed them in a soft kiss against his own lips.

A moment later, Yuno quickly pulled back, her beautiful face ablaze in a vivid red coloring as she tried to look anywhere else but at the young man's smiling face.

"S-See you later, Naruto!" she spoke with a slight waver in her voice as she hurriedly entered her yard, the steel door closing behind her with a loud _clank_.

The white haired young man simply watched her disappear behind the tall door, a small smile slowly forming on his face as his thoughts started drifting toward the events which had taken place in the past few hours.

He had not actually realized it until the end of his date, but during this whole time that he had spent in the company of the rose haired girl, he had acted... differently to say the least.

Honestly, just these past six hours he had smiled more than he had done in the past millennium.

His entire behavior while around the young girl seemed to have been affected as he would find himself smiling just by seeing her being happy and enjoying herself.

Yet, this revelation did not seem to bother him. Not in the least.

After all, he had already concluded that his delicate flower was something far beyond the normal concept.

She was far beyond the standard which described her wretched species, and such a thing was as clear as day in his eyes. To him, she was definitely not _human_.

And that was most likely the very reason for why he had acted in such a different and dare he say even irrational manner while around her.

Her very presence made him forget about most other things as he quickly found himself solely focused on her.

A chuckle escaped the young man's lips as he realized just how much this young lady had managed to influence him and his life in only a little above a week.

But he did not mind any of these changes.

He was very content with how things seemed to have unfolded so far, and all that he wanted was to further unravel more of the mystery which this rose haired girl was.

Naruto gave one last glance to the house where his lovely lady lived, before he swiftly turned around and began walking down the street, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he gave himself a mental pat on the back for being inspired enough to plan his date beforehand.

He should probably send a thank you to the young fellow who had helped him gain the necessary insight in order to make his date proceed as smoothly and perfectly as it did.

Actually, he would do just that, since it was only polite to thank those who helped you further your endeavors.

Closing his eyes for a split second, the snow haired young man blinked as he revealed to the world twin light purple orbs with a black rippling pattern and a matching, smaller pupil.

A look of concentration briefly crossed his ethereal features as he projected a few words of gratitude in a far away plane of existence, before he blinked one more, his eyes reassuming their normally pale color.

"And now to get that cellphone..." Naruto muttered to himself as he continued his slow paced walk along the sidewalk.

He had a few other things to take care of before he could return to being around his lovely flower, however, that should not be a problem, since he could not see her for the next few hours anyway.

He would have to wait until the next day came around, so until then, he would first finish his errand, and then he would either entertain a conversation with Alduin or simply meditate while letting his thoughts wander to a certain someone.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN:**

 **And that's a wrap. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, because I sure did while writing it.**

 **Once more, I'd like to thank you for all the feedback that you have given to the story. Some of you had expressed great delight at the previous chapter, and that made me glad for having been able to entertain you to such a degree.**

 **Also, I'd like to thank you for leaving your opinions regarding the little quote that I've posted last chapter. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on it and I've found them to be very interesting.**

 **By the way, if you are curious about my own interpretation of it, you can PM me and I shall gladly respond.**

 **And lastly, the responses to the guest reviews:**

 **Guest #1: Glad you liked it.**

 **x-mrks-spot: Using your own diction, it would be safe to say that the answer to that is also subjective; life can be an interval to death, life can be an eternal cycle of reincarnation, life can be anything. However, from your words, it seems as if you are implying a predisposed fate for each man. For that I cannot disagree, but I shall not agree either. Anyway, if you wish to have a discussion, then please contact me via PM.**

 **Guest #2: Naruto won't be in her class this time, since it won't be needed. You will see exactly why in the next chapter, but there have been some hints in this one as well.**

 **The Dude: Yes, Yuno was something akin to the class idol, but from the very beginning. Yukiteru's existence had no impact on this whatsoever. She just had top grades and was very popular among her peers. It is actually explained during canon toward the end of the manga/anime when flashbacks of her school life are shown. Also, nice reference you did there ;)**

 **And that's all. See you everyone in the next chapter, and hopefully it won't take too long for me to get it done. Though, I suggest you don't get your hopes up, because at least the first few months until I get accustomed to my first year in med-school will be hellish.**

 **Oh, and for those who love the** _ **Queen of Yandere**_ **as much as I do, she will be finally making her first appearance in the next chapter. And all I can say is that it will be bloody and awesome.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

#####

 **Chapter 4: Forever Yours, Forever Mine**

 **2005/05/20 14:40 [Sakurami Middle School]**

Yuno was seated at a desk next to a large bookshelf, her gaze completely focused on the luminous screen in front of her.

Despite this being her last period, she was currently inside the school library, because she had been given permission by her English teacher after she had finished her assignment earlier.

So, she had decided to use this time to finally quell something which had been intriguing her for the past day.

She wanted to find out what the inscription on her ring meant. She wanted to know the meaning of the words engraved in the symbol of salvation that her soon-to-be husband had given to her.

A dreamy sigh escaped the rose haired girl's lips as she was reminded once again of the young man with snowy hair who had taken over both her heart and thoughts in such a short time.

The memories that she had made during her date two days ago had become a priceless treasure to her and would remain as such for the rest of her days.

Regardless of how much time passed, she would always remember the wonderful day when the embers of hope within her soul had been turned into a fiery blaze.

Feeling a wave of happiness surge through her, Yuno let a joyous smile settle on her lips as she began typing on the keyboard in front of her.

Her thoughts quickly drifted back to her Naruto, more specifically to the events of the past day.

She had spent almost the entire Sunday morning speaking with him through the cellphone, and then she had met with him once again as they went on a picnic at the park. And after she had gotten back home, she had spent another few hours talking to him over the phone.

That day had been another precious memory that she had made, one that had been added to the slowly increasing collection which brought her immense happiness every time she reminisced it.

With a click of the mouse, the results of her search were listed on the bright desktop, and Yuno found herself staring at it intently as she tried to comprehend the meaning of the displayed words.

 _Know Thyself._

That was what it read, the translation of what was inscribed on her lovely ring.

Several moments passed, and the rose haired girl still had a look of concentration etched into her features as she continued to think about the words which seemed to elude her.

Her brow slightly furrowed as she seemed to put even more effort in her attempt at understanding.

She was certain that this maxim was something that she should have understood, since there was an instinctual feeling which told her that what she had just read was very important and that she should quickly make sense of it.

Yet, even so, the answer still evaded her.

A few more minutes passed, and Yuno was eventually brought out of her thoughts when a voice suddenly made itself known within the silent atmosphere of the library.

"Yuno-tan!" a girl with shoulder-length ebony hair and dark brown eyes called out, before she paused to catch her breath. "You won't believe what I'd just seen!"

The rose haired girl suppressed a frown that threatened to show on her face and instead put her usual polite façade as she replied to the girl whom had disrupted her musings.

"Are you alright, Keiko?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned despite having completely faked it. "Did something happen?"

The raven haired girl nodded in response, before she spoke once again, her voice filled with excitement.

"Well, as I was done packing up my stuff, I decided that I should air the classroom. So I went and opened the windows, but as soon as I looked out one of them, I saw this incredibly handsome guy outside in the courtyard, sitting on a bench and staring in the direction of our classroom" her eyes seemed to glint as she spoke the next words. "I swear that he's got to be some model, because when you look and dress like that you can't be anything but a model. I mean, his hair was white like snow and his face looked like it belonged to one of those Ancient Greek sculptures."

As soon as Yuno registered what her classmate had just said, she shot to her feet from her seat at the desk and leveled the cheerful girl at the entrance of the library a narrow-eyed glare.

"Y-Yuno-t-tan?" Keiko mouthed in surprise at the sudden change in her friend's demeanor. She had never seen her switch moods like that, so she reasoned that her reaction right now must have had something to do with the piece of news that she had just given her. "Could it be that you know that guy from outside?" she asked after a few moments of unnerving silence.

Noticing how the raven haired girl was looking at her almost in apprehension, Yuno quickly schooled her features and slid back the mask which had previously slipped away for a brief while.

The only reason why her façade had wavered for a few seconds had been due to the fact that she had been both taken by surprise and angered at the same time.

Surprised because she had not been expecting her Naruto to show up at her school out of a sudden, and angered because that girl had dared to look at her soon-to-be husband in such a manner.

"I'm sorry if I surprised you, Keiko, but you had also taken me by surprise with what you had just told me" Yuno spoke with her slightly shy smile and an apologetic tone. "And to answer your question, yes, I know that person from outside. He is my boyfriend, Naruto."

The rose haired girl did not have any problem with revealing this piece of information about her relationship with the young man for multiple reasons.

One being the fact that she did not care if anyone knew about them being together, because such a thing did not affect their relationship in any shape or form, and the other being the fact that it would deliver a firm message to any potential annoyances.

It would tell them that Naruto was hers and that they better stood away from him, otherwise things might turn unpleasant for them.

Yuno's thoughts were brought to an end when she heard the dark haired girl address her in a cheerful tone.

"Wow, really?!" Keiko voiced in surprise. "That's great, Yuno-tan! You are so lucky to have gotten someone like that as your boyfriend!"

The rose haired girl felt the urge to sigh as soon as she heard her _friend's_ response to her reveal, however, she managed to hold it in and kept her smile.

That was the only disadvantage to her chosen approach. Especially when a girl as nosy as Keiko was involved.

"By the way, Yuno-tan" Keiko spoke once again. "You've got to tell me how the two of you had met."

This time, Yuno inwardly let out a sigh.

"Alright" she replied. "But I will make it short and tell it to you on our way outside."

As soon as she finished speaking, she started walking toward the raven haired girl who was still standing in the door way, all the while planning in her mind the adapted story that she would tell to her _friend_.

"Sure, Yuno-tan" Keiko spoke with a wide smile, before she turned around and started going after her classmate whom had just walked past her as she left the library.

#####

 **Ten minutes later...**

Yuno and her classmate, Keiko, were currently walking side by side along the main hallway of the school as they headed toward the exit to the courtyard.

Yuno had used the time it had taken her to return to her classroom and pack up her things for explaining to her _friend_ how she and Naruto had met.

It didn't take her too long to tell the dark haired girl the overall story, since she had made sure to omit most of the details and twist the remaining ones to suit her intentions.

As they were nearing the exit, both girls had their attention drawn to the sounds of what seemed to be a commotion outside.

Keiko glanced at Yuno and gave her a cheshire smile.

"I think that your boyfriend might be the cause of that" she joked. "And knowing how most of the girls in the neighboring classes are, they must already be frenzying around him."

Hearing that, the rose haired girl's eyes narrowed dangerously, before she quickened her walking pace as she headed straight to the doors which were only several feet away from her.

"That's the spirit, Yuno-tan" the raven haired girl spoke in a cheerful manner, watching her friend storm out of the school. "See you tomorrow!" she shouted a moment later as she waved at her hurrying classmate.

Despite seemingly acknowledging Keiko's goodbye, Yuno didn't give any response as her mind was much more busy with taking in the scenery of the courtyard.

She had just stepped outside the school building a moment ago and her eyes were already in the process of rapidly scanning over the entire area as she looked for her Naruto.

It didn't take her more than a few moments to locate her husband in anything but name, and as soon as she did, her cerise orbs narrowed even further when she spotted the crowd of harlots that were flocking around the bench he was sat upon.

She felt her blood begin to boil as she found herself rooted in spot, her piercing glare completely focused on the hussies that dared look at her fiancé with such leering eyes and lustful expressions.

' _Kill them...'_ Yuno heard an all too familiar voice whisper inside her mind, a malicious edge in its distinctively feminine tone. _'Show them what happens to those who dare get between you and what is yours... Kill them all...'_

Feeling strangely in agreement with the voice inside her head, which for the first time had not spoken any words aimed to stab at her, the rose haired girl slowly reached with her right hand inside the side pocket of her school bag as she resumed her walking toward the white haired young man and the strumpets that were almost completely surrounding him.

Absorbed as she was in her own thoughts, which mostly revolved around the gleaming edge of the box cutter that she was now holding tightly in her grip behind her back, she missed when the young man averted his eyes from the widows of the classroom at which he had been previously staring and lowered his gaze until he was looking in her direction.

Yuno slightly picked up her pace as she stalked in the direction of the girls gathered around her Naruto, however, after only taking a few steps, she suddenly found herself once more stuck in place as soon as her gaze inadvertently swept over a very familiar-looking ethereal visage framed by snow-white tresses.

She immediately snapped shut the blade of the box cutter and deftly placed it back inside the bag hung over her left shoulder as she continued to stare at the faintly smiling face of the young man sitting on the bench a few dozen feet away from her.

Several moments later, she quickly realized that she had become the new centre of attention in the schoolyard, as most of the students gathered around the young man had seemed to follow his gaze and were now looking at her as well.

Yuno had to suppress a pleased smile when she noticed the jealous glances that she was now getting from most of the girls surrounding her Naruto, but she decided to put away her gleeful satisfaction for the time being, because her undivided attention was quickly brought upon the breathtaking form of the white haired young man as soon as she noticed him stand up from his spot on the bench.

She felt a little uncomfortable with the dozens of eyes that were currently darting back and forth from her to the incredibly handsome young man who was now taking graceful steps as he slowly walked toward her position.

"No way..." one of the female students standing the farthest away from Naruto voiced, her eyes widened in disbelief as she glanced between him and the rose haired girl towards whom he was slowly advancing.

"Gasai and _him_...?" another girl spoke with equal amounts of incredulity in her voice.

"I can't believe this..." yet another student expressed her disbelief at what her eyes were showing her. "Miss prim and proper, Gasai Yuno, is dating this... _this_... Adonis?!"

And so, a susurrus of voices quickly blanketed the area of the courtyard around the white haired young man, as most of the present students began whispering among themselves about what they were currently witnessing.

The feeling of uneasiness which had previously gripped Yuno continued to grow as she became more and more aware of the amount of gossip that was now surrounding her.

However, in spite of all the staring and never ending murmuring that were coming from the many students gathered in the schoolyard, this uncomfortableness did not seem to last for too long, for it was quickly replaced with wonder as soon as she noticed a rather strange thing about her soon-to-be husband and his current demeanor.

Despite the dozens of eyes that were relentlessly maintaining their almost hungry gazes upon his form, he did not even seem to acknowledge them.

Instead, he continued to walk at a sedate pace, with his gait dignified and elegant as he paid absolutely no heed to the countless whisperings and mutterings that filled the atmosphere around him, his gaze completely ignoring any and all of those who happened to be obstructing his line of sight during their hurried attempts at creating a corridor for his passing.

He simply kept his pale eyes focused in her direction, effortlessly piercing with utmost nonchalance through the occasional students who were hastily moving to the side, as though they did not even exist.

Yuno continued to stare at the slowly approaching young man, her visage filled with fascination as she observed his every movement, completely mesmerized by how natural his demeanor seemed to be.

He appeared to be so easily dismissive of everyone surrounding him, completely disregarding them and their mindless chatter, his gaze solely focused in her direction as if everything else but her were simply inconsequential to him.

And the more she witnessed of this enchanting behavior that her Naruto seemed to be exhibiting, the more she felt a surge of happiness well up in her chest.

It brought her so much joy to know that he viewed her in such a light, but it also brought her an unexpected realization about something which she had not initially been able to properly grasp.

The quote whose meaning she had been previously dwelling upon suddenly flashed in her mind, which prompted Yuno to once again begin wondering about its significance.

To know ones self...

That was what the inscription on her ring said.

At first, despite feeling that there was something very important which she should have understood upon reading those words, she had not been able to find it as the answer appeared to be simply eluding her.

However, after seeing Naruto act in such a manner, one which denoted utmost naturalness and a complete lack of concern about everything else other than her, she was quickly struck by an epiphany.

A revelation which brought her into deep thought.

And so, she began to contemplate about herself and question her life so far.

Should she acknowledge her actions? Should she acknowledge the state of the world?

Should she acknowledge her own heart and mind? What it wished for? And what it found dismissive?

The clarity present in her mind right now was unprecedented.

She felt like she could easily come up with the answers to all of these questions, and that none of them would pose any sort of dilemmas to her whatsoever.

The world no longer mattered to her. And that as long as her actions did not drain her of her happy ending, then they did not matter either.

As such, she should no longer feel guilty for starving her parents to death.

After all, why would she even feel any guilt for killing her parents, when they did not feel any while they had been constantly abusing her?

Why should she care about what society labeled her as, when it did nothing to stop her parents from locking her up in a cage for days on end?

The only one who had been there for her when no one else had been was Naruto, and he was the sole thing which mattered to her now.

The rest of the world could burn for all that she cared.

As long as she was with the one who had brought hope in her life, the one whose wife she would soon become, then nothing else mattered to her anymore. Everything else besides him was irrelevant to her and could very well disappear, for she would not even bat an eyelash.

Her heart and mind were filled with only one thing and nothing else. The love that she had for her Naruto, a feeling which was growing with each passing day.

That was the only thing which mattered to her now, and would ever will. As long as she was with him, she would need nothing else, for she already had everything that she could wish for.

The end of her introspection was accompanied by a sudden flood of warmth which quickly spread through her body as she basked in the pleasant feelings that her previous thoughts had evoked.

As soon as her brief rush of euphoria had passed, Yuno quickly focused back on the world around her, only to instantly be met with a very familiar-looking face, as well as a pair of pale eyes which were peering into her own with a delicate warmth that brought her even more happiness.

"It is a wonderful feeling this state of self-understanding and clarity, is it not?" she heard Naruto speak, a gentle smile present on his ethereal features.

She continued to look at him as she contemplated his words, a faint gasp escaping her lips the moment when she came to another realization. One which left her rather mystified.

She quickly remembered the events which had taken place during her visit to the theatre from two days ago, more specifically the part where Naruto had told her how different she was from the others whom he had likened to mere sheep.

At that time she had not dwelt too much on his words, because she had been too overwhelmed by the part where he had called her unique. She had not given too much thought to what he had said before that, but now, with all of the insight that she had attained so far, she was able to see the deeper meaning within his words.

From the very moment when he had given her the ring, it seemed that her soon-to-be husband had intended for her to reach this level of self-knowledge.

It was as astounding as it was bewildering.

For him to be able to do such a thing, to act in such a way which would end in helping her obtain such a deep understanding of her own self...

Yuno could only be amazed at the wisdom that Naruto had displayed through his actions so far.

But that was not all.

For her to know that he would do so much to help her get a better comprehension of herself, it honestly made her love him so much more.

Having concluded her musings, Yuno quickly returned her focus on the young man standing in front of her, a beaming smile forming on her features as she gave him her reply.

"Yes, Naruto, it is" she spoke, completely uncaring of the whisperings that still could be heard coming from most of the students gathered around her.

The snow haired young man simply smiled once more.

"Well then" he began as he offered her his gloveless hand. "Shall we get going, my fair lady?"

Yuno did not seem to waste any moment as she immediately mirrored Naruto's previous gesture, before she let out a light giggle when she felt him grab her hand in a gentlemanly manner reminiscing of those that she had seen in movies depicting the aristocracy of olden ages.

"Of course, my handsome gentleman" she replied, a noble air of histrionic quality emanating from her words.

And with that, the both of them began walking at an unhurried pace as they headed toward the exit of the school's courtyard, none of them seeming to mind the looks, nor the varying remarks that their little display had elicited from the many students that were gathered around them.

Only the snow-white haired young man slightly turned his head and glanced to his left for a moment as he took in the sight of a girl with waist-length maroon colored hair who appeared to be glaring intently at the rose haired girl walking to his right, before he quickly dismissed her as he returned his gaze at the scenery in front of him.

"Is anything the matter, Naruto?" he heard Yuno address him, curiosity evident in her tone.

"Nothing of concern" he replied while looking at her with an amused smile. "It was just an insect buzzing around."

The rose haired girl let out a giggle at this. "Did you squash it?"

This time it was Naruto who chuckled. "No. It was not all that annoying, so I did not bother with the effort."

Yuno let out another cute giggle, after which the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they continued their slow walk toward the exit of the schoolyard.

#####

Anger and jealousy.

These two emotions were what currently defined the girl's state of mind as she kept her muddy brown eyes on the retreating form of her cheerful-looking classmate.

Her furious glare never once left the back of her pink haired classmate's head and the trembling of her body did not seem to cease even after she watched the object of her ire leave the schoolyard as she slowly faded into the distance.

And even after a few more minutes, she was still rooted to the same spot, next to a tree in the courtyard as her gaze had yet to move away from the direction where she had been previously watching her fellow class member head towards to.

By the time when she had snapped out of her apparent state of shock, the girl seemed to be beyond livid as her intense feelings of anger and jealousy began to encroach more and more on her thoughts, prompting them to spiral down toward darker and much less pleasant avenues.

The events that she had witnessed only a few minutes earlier once again flashed through her mind and she had to stop herself from screaming due to the sheer outrage that had been brought forth by them.

Just how further did that pink haired bitch dare make such a mockery of her?!

First she had completely ignored her upon their meeting at the aquarium... and now this?!

Just how longer did she plan on taunting her like this?!

The maroon haired girl clenched her fists in an attempt to calm down the faint trembling of her body. She took a deep, calming breath and felt part of her anger subside as she exhaled.

That Gasai had done way too much for her to let it slide how she had done two days ago.

This time she won't be as forgiving as then, and let alone even attempt to forget about what had just transpired.

For that prissy bitch to come and shamelessly flaunt what could only be described as an incredibly hot model, one with whom she would have never even stood a chance of scoring, unless she had actually paid him for it... that had been the last drop.

First she had had all of her popularity stolen by that pink haired bitch the moment she had transferred into her school and now the bitch had the gall to openly make fun of her?!

No.

This time she wouldn't let it slide. Not after what had happened today.

A vicious smile slowly formed on the girl's lips as a particularly enticing thought entered her mind. And the more she dwelled on it, the more appealing it became to her.

The time for that Gasai to finally be taught a lesson had come.

Unfortunately, as much as she might have wanted to do it as soon as possible, she knew that she shouldn't be hasty in this matter.

First she should come up with a plan of action and then she should make the necessary preparations for its enactment.

Only then she would be able to just sit back and savor the moment when that bitch is brought down a peg and put back in her place.

Her cruel smile became even wider, twisting the young girl's visage as it stretched even further on her lips.

Another moment passed as the girl continued to gaze in the distance, before she finally turned around, her face now settled into a neutral expression as she started walking towards the entrance to the school.

Feeling a sudden wave of giddiness wash over her, she took her phone out of her purse and began forming a number.

Her friends were still inside the school, so why not fill them in as soon as possible?

After all, she would definitely be needing their help if she wanted to be able to carry through with what she had envisioned so far.

#####

 **Later that day...**

Naruto was walking along the rather empty sidewalk at a sedate pace, his long white tresses gently swaying behind him with every taken step as he aimlessly strolled through the streets that were bathed in the fading sunlight of an impending dusk.

Following his earlier departure from the school grounds, he had spent the remaining hours of the afternoon and the entire evening alongside his lovely lady as they relished one in the presence of the other.

It had been only a few minutes since he had parted ways with Yuno after having accompanied her to her house, and he estimated that there were perhaps only fifteen or so more minutes left until his cellphone would start ringing.

A small smile settled on his pale lips at that particular thought.

Ever since their date two days ago, he had spent more and more time with her, and even when he had been temporarily apart from her due to it being either night, or her having classes, it did not seem to pose any difficulties for Yuno, as she had made quite the extensive use of her knowledge of his cellphone number.

His smile became fonder as his thoughts trailed even more toward the events of the past two days.

Their time spent together during these past couple days had definitely served to further strengthen his initial realization which had come to him with the conclusion of their first date.

He was certainly beginning to develop feelings that seemed to run deeper and deeper the more time passed, so much that whenever he was in her presence, he would always feel a pleasant warmth suffuse through his being.

Therefore, it was quite obvious to him that he had come to care for this girl to a great extent and that he was actually slowly starting to see her in a romantic light.

Not that such a development bothered him or anything.

On the contrary, he was rather thrilled at the thought. That a young girl like her would fascinate him to such an extent that it would quickly turn into something more than that.

But that were to be expected from a delicate flower like her.

Such an outcome was only fitting after everything which had transpired between them.

She had ensnared him ever since he had first laid his eyes upon her, enrapturing him with her exquisite charm as soon as he had delved deeper and glimpsed at the beauty which lay hidden beneath a deceptively thin veil.

And after having witnessed such wondrous displays and having delighted himself in the fascination which had accompanied them, there was no way that he would not wish for more.

Thus, it was very clear to him that there was only one possible outcome left. An outcome that he would readily embrace as it filled him with excitement and rapture.

Concluding his inner monologue, Naruto decided to spend the remaining time actively sorting and integrating the constant flood of information that he had been getting for more than half a day from the many clones that he had spread throughout the world.

After his conundrum with the cellphone from a couple days ago, he had decided that it should prove to be rather useful to him if he were to take the time to accumulate the knowledge of the humans from this world.

They might now be nothing more than insects in his eyes, however, he had to acknowledge the fact that some of them were quite the intelligent and creative ones.

They had managed to achieve many discoveries and gather extensive knowledge in certain areas, and he was not one to simply ignore such things.

After all, knowledge was power, and he would always welcome any additions to his many libraries worth of information should the chance present itself.

But besides that, he had always been a scholar at heart, and as such he had been quite taken with the studying and learning of new concepts, especially when they proved to be interesting and fascinating.

And since he actually had the means to facilitate his learning to unfathomable levels, there was truly nothing which prevented him from simply gathering any and all information from this world. Information which he did not already hold within his possession, that is.

Naruto's attention was momentarily shifted away from his current filing and indexing of various information when a rather distinguishable scene got caught in the peripheral vision of his previously absentminded gaze, which until now had been fixated on the far end of the sidewalk that he had been walking on.

Pale eyes were quickly focused on the source of interest that had managed to catch their owner's notice and they quickly took in the sight of the beheld.

Several dozen meters in the distance, on the other side of the street, two individuals could be seen.

A young couple to be more precise.

Their features were not exactly anything noteworthy and their choice of clothing was not worth describing as it could be simply summed up as average.

Though, there was something distinct about them, something which had been what had actually managed to catch his attention in the first place, for if they had been within ordinary circumstances, then their existence would have easily gone unacknowledged by him.

One of the two young humans, the female to be more precise, seemed to be holding something in her hands while she was admiring it with her eyes lit up in joy.

The snow haired young man immediately identified that something as being a bouquet of flowers—of red roses.

He had previously noticed how the man had offered them to the smiling woman facing him, and now he was watching how said woman appeared to be delighted at his gesture and was looking at the flowers in happiness, before she returned her gaze on the one who had given them to her.

Naruto continued to observe how the woman laughed in joy, before she embraced the man in front of her as she held tight onto him for almost an entire minute.

A few moments later as the two separated from their embrace, they walked off in the distance while holding each other's hands, until they eventually disappeared from view as they took a turn past a corner further down the street.

By the time they had vanished from his line of sight, Naruto seemed to have fallen once more in his contemplations, however, this time, said thoughts had nothing to do with his earlier musings.

As he had been previously watching the now gone young couple, the young man had felt something stir within himself the moment when he saw that woman's reaction to receiving that bouquet of flowers.

It had not been a sensation which he could have easily described, however, he had seemed to understand what it had meant.

What he had felt had been his desire to make his lovely lady experience the same emotions as that woman.

He had wanted Yuno to feel the same joy as well. He had wanted to see a radiant smile blossom on her beautiful face as she was filled with happiness when faced with such a gesture on his part.

The white haired young man stopped for a moment as he analyzed his previous train of thoughts for a few seconds, before he returned to his musings.

If this occurrence were to have taken place two days ago, he was quite certain that it might have shocked him a little, since at that time he would have found himself confounded at the notions which were currently present inside his mind.

But as it were right now, he did not feel anything such as that.

What he experienced, however, was actual excitement in a manner that it made him feel almost giddy at the thought of doing something as mundane as offering his young lady flowers just so he could see her smile in joy at him.

Not even a second later, mirthful laughter escaped his lips as he could no longer contain himself in the face of this recent insight.

An elderly passerby sent a curious glance in his direction as he walked past him, but the young man did not seem to acknowledge it.

Instead, he simply quickened his pace, taking a sharp turn to the right as he entered the first alley which came into his sight.

He was quickly engulfed by the shadows which permeated the darkened alleyway as he ventured deeper within it, until he completely disappeared from the sight of anyone who might have been looking from the direction of the street.

After a few more moments of walking amidst the darkness of the deserted alley, he seemingly disappeared as he had never even been there to begin with, the last sight of him seen before his vanishing being the smile playing on his lips, as well as the white petals of a still indistinguishable flower which seemed to be growing from his gloveless palm.

#####

 **2005/05/21 06:05 [Gasai Residence]**

The following morning caught Yuno awake rather early as she was in the process of changing herself out of her sleeping clothes.

She had just woken up a few minutes ago from another pleasant dream featuring a certain snow haired young man, and the content smile on her lips had yet to fade.

As soon as she was finished dressing, she rubbed the remaining sleepiness from her eyes, before she left her bedroom as she quickly made her way through the main hallway.

The previous night, she had come to a rather displeasing conclusion when she had tried to take a shower before she could have gone to bed.

Apparently, the water had been finally cut off as her extremely tight budget had not been able to accommodate said utility for the past two months.

Still, that had not posed too much of a problem to her as she had quickly come up with an idea to overcome the slight impediment.

If her house had been left without running water, then all that she had to do was to steal some from her neighbors.

However, in order to do as such, she would have to wake up before them, so that she could take their water without risking being caught.

Stopping in front of the door, she put on her shoes, before she unlocked it.

However, as soon as she opened the door, she did not take more than one step, as her attention was immediately drawn to the sight which welcomed her.

Lying in the middle of the wooden veranda, not even a foot away from her feet, was a single white camellia with a small tag attached to it which was inscribed with a curvy _'N'_.

Several moments had passed, and she found herself still staring at the delicate flower as her mind worked to make sense of what she was seeing.

An expression of delight blossomed on her face as she quickly came to her realization and she immediately took the flower from the floor, cradling it to her chest.

It seemed that her Naruto had once again made her an unexpected but incredibly pleasant surprise, one which brought her a great deal of happiness alongside making her ever growing feelings for him bloom even further.

A dreamy sigh escaped her soft lips, and her thoughts trailed back to the white camellia, more precisely to what she remembered it to signify.

Her cheeks slowly gained a rosy hue, before she quickly turned around and dashed back inside her house, unaware of the pair of pale eyes which had been gazing at her ever since she had opened the door.

Remembering that she had left a half empty bottle of water on the kitchen table, she went to retrieve it, before she began looking around the house for a vase to place the flower in, so that it would not start to wilt too soon due to a lack of water.

And despite knowing that she was quite thirsty herself, she would have to wait until she eventually managed to get some water from her neighbors, because being able to preserve the beautiful flower from her Naruto for as long as possible definitely took precedence over her current thirst.

By the time she was done with the flower affair, she had realized that she had only half an hour left before her neighbors woke up, so she quickly ran to her backyard, where upon arriving she climbed over their fence and jumped into their yard.

She had only one hour left before she would have to leave for school herself, which meant that she had to be fast if she wanted to finish her morning routine.

#####

 **Several hours later... [Sakurami Middle School]**

Yuno was walking along the main hallway with a happy smile on her face as she absentmindedly played with a lock of her rose colored hair.

The last class had been rather boring to her, since she had been significantly ahead on that particular subject, however, she had definitely put that free time to good use by thinking about her beloved Naruto.

As such, she had barely felt the minutes fly by her, and by the time when she had returned from her musings, the dismissal bell had already rung.

But now that the school was finally over for the day, her previous daydream induced pleasant mood had been lifted even further, since she could once again see _him_ in person.

At that thought she felt a surge of warmth spread through her being, before she picked up her pace significantly as she hurried toward the exit.

Several minutes earlier, just before she had left the classroom, she had seen her beloved in the same spot as the previous day, seated on that bench as he kept gazing in the direction of her classroom. And as soon as she had made eye contact with him, he had given her a smile which had brought a rather vivid coloring on her cheeks.

Yuno felt the previous warmth become even more intense as she continued to think about her Naruto, and how happy he had made her feel with every one of his actions towards her.

Ever since the start of their first date, he had treated her as if she was royalty—a princess. His princess.

He had been so sweet, thoughtful and gallant to her that she couldn't see him as anything but a prince charming who had come and swept her off her feet and brought her into a fairytale.

A real fairytale.

A giggle escaped her mouth as soon as she registered the oxymoron that her mind had previously conjured.

It might have sounded like a contradiction, but it was what currently defined her life.

From the moment when he had saved her on that fateful day, her life had been turned into a veritable fairytale, one that was only getting more and more fantastic with each passing day as the two of them grew closer to each other, until the moment when they would finally be united in both body and soul.

Moments later, a cheerful smile graced Yuno's lips and she put an end to her musings as she came face to face with the main doors of the school.

A few more steps and she would once more be with her beloved Naruto!

She could barely wait, and all of the excitement welling up inside of her was definitely not helping.

So, with a quick push of her hands, the only obstacle separating her from her Naruto was quickly flung open, before she walked out into the courtyard, her eyes already locked with mesmerizing pale ones.

She felt her cheeks flush when he gave her another one of his enchanting smiles, and she wasted no more time and began running toward him, ignoring all of the stares and whispers that she received from most of the occupants of the courtyard when they seemed to have taken notice of her.

It didn't take her more than a few seconds to reach her beloved Naruto, and as soon as she was within arm's length of him, she did not even let him greet her and immediately embraced him in a tight hug.

After almost a minute of holding him within her warm embrace, she gently let go of him, before she raised herself to his eye level as she planted a brief yet affectionate kiss on his pale lips, an action which seemed to have surprised him, if the minuscule yet still noticeable widening of his eyes had been of any indication.

As she pulled back from their short kiss, she gazed at him with a loving smile, before she finally spoke.

"Thank you, Naruto."

The young man with snow-white hair gave a fond smile in return as he replied.

"You are welcome, Yuno."

Following their brief verbal exchange, a relative silence had fallen between them for the next few moments, as both of them seemed to be content with just gazing one at the other, all the while they paid absolutely no heed to the murmurs of gossip that the rose haired girl's previous affectionate display had generated.

A minute later, Naruto decided to break the silence between them as he offered her his right hand. "Shall we?" he voiced with his smile still present on his ethereal visage.

In response, Yuno merely grasped his hand gently as the both of them turned around and prepared to head toward the exit of the courtyard.

However, before he had completely faced away from the school building, the white haired young man sent a brief glance in the direction of a particular window as his previous pleasant smile became slightly lopsided for a few seconds.

Then, he began walking at a leisure pace alongside the rose haired girl while he gently held her hand within his own.

#####

An angry scowl marred her features while her brown eyes continued to glare with heated intensity at the revolting display that her pink haired classmate was putting on with that white haired model.

She had almost felt the urge to throw up when she had seen that bitch kiss him and then act all lovey dovey with him like they were some actors in a cheap romance movie.

Just how desperate could that Gasai be? To continue with her pathetic farce even after everyone must have realized how much of a fake it was?

Honestly, she didn't know whether her classmate was that stupid or that much of a slut.

Probably both.

And given how rich her parents were, that bitch must have surely had enough money to pay for all of the extra services when she had hired that Adonis.

Still, none of that mattered, because very soon she would put her back into her place.

A malicious smile slowly formed on her lips when she remembered the plan that she had come up with during the previous day.

She could barely wait to see the face of that Gasai after she told her what would be happening to her.

And she was curious if the bitch would still feel like keeping on with her charade even after she had been taught her lesson.

A dark chuckle suddenly escaped her mouth at that particular thought, however, it had soon died in her throat the moment when her eyes had caught sight of that handsome model briefly glance in her direction as he gave her a tiny, crooked smile.

For a few moments she stood there, behind the window on the hallway, rooted in spot as she tried to make sense of whatever had just happened, before she felt a cold shiver run down her spine when a particular thought had entered her mind.

Could that young man have figured out what she was up to?

No, that shouldn't have been possible. Not when she had only talked about her plan with her best friends and their respective boyfriends, all the while being in the privacy of their empty classroom.

There just couldn't have been any possible way for anyone to find out about what they had discussed, especially for that white haired model, who had done nothing else besides sitting outside on that bench and looking pretty, before he had finally left with that pink haired bitch.

After several more moments of thinking, she realized that she must have been a bit too paranoid due to all of the plotting that she had done so far, because there was no conceivable way for that young man to even suspect what she was up to.

Not when he had never even looked at her for more than a few seconds combined ever since their first encounter at that aquarium.

Which meant that she was most likely overthinking it, as perhaps in reality he had simply looked in her direction, and not specifically at _her_.

Maybe there had been something in her way which had briefly caught his attention, or maybe he was just being weird.

She had seen a lot of models who had quite the odd quirks with how they sometimes randomly smiled at the people they met.

Still, even with her disregarding of that option due to it being obviously her paranoia talking, she would definitely have to wait until Gasai was alone in order to carry through with her plan, since she couldn't have any witnesses, for otherwise she wouldn't be able to cover up her tracks after she was done with her.

She couldn't risk anything, so she would have to wait for the right moment to put her plan into action.

#####

 **Later that day...**

Naruto was sitting atop the ledge of a tall building, his snowy tresses gently swaying in the mild evening breeze as he appeared to be currently lost within his thoughts.

For the past few minutes he had been reflecting on the events that had taken place during the day so far, and the more he contemplated, the more he felt the pleasant warmth within his being intensify.

Ever since he had seen Yuno's reaction to his gift, he had been left with a warm feeling within his chest, which had seemed to grow tenfold upon his receiving of that hug and kiss from her.

A soft laugh escaped his smiling lips.

It seemed that he was beginning to fall for her faster than he had thought. But that did not bother him.

No, in fact it excited him, since it meant that her allure was even more exquisite than he had initially imagined it to be.

Such a marvelous being his delicate flower was turning out to be. Enrapturing him further and further with each passing day.

He wondered how long would it take until she fully had him under her spell.

Probably not very long, if the recent developments between them were of any indication.

And when that were to finally happen, only one thing would be left for him to do. He would have to honor his promise to her.

But until then, he would make sure that he experienced even more of these wonderful feelings that she so easily seemed to be capable of stirring within him with either her simple presence, her words, or her actions.

#####

 **The next day...**

Sitting on the soft grass, next to the shadow of a large tree, Yuno was gazing lovingly at the retreating form of her beloved as she once more seemed to be slowly falling into another one of her reveries.

Just like the morning before, she had found a wonderful surprise waiting for her at her doorstep, a beautiful bouquet of vibrant red chrysanthemum with the same inscribed tag.

She had been so ecstatic when she had seen them, because she had quickly understood their meaning and what they symbolized.

It had brought her immense joy to know that her Naruto had come to feel about her in such a way, and she had made sure to let it be known to him just how happy his gift had made her.

A blush slowly crept over her cheeks when she remembered that particular moment, and how Naruto had reacted to it.

The slightly shocked yet exhilarated expression on his face after she had kissed him for two minutes straight had been a sight that she will never forget.

And she was quite sure that he wouldn't be forgetting it either.

A cute giggle escaped her lips at that particular thought, however, her musings were soon cut short by a mocking voice coming from her left.

"So you're still playing house with that fake boyfriend of yours, eh Gasai?"

Yuno slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice, assuming a polite yet slightly strained expression as she was struggling to keep in check the previous spike of anger that had been brought by the rude and sudden interruption of her alone time reserved for thinking about her beloved.

She took a moment to glance at the faces of the three girls that had been the cause of her ire, and she noted that she vaguely remembered them as being some unremarkable classmates of hers.

She didn't exactly remember their names, not that she cared about them, though she remembered seeing them several times at school from passing glances.

"Well, look at that girls" the same voice spoke, which Yuno had now noted to belong to the maroon haired girl with the haughty expression on her face. "It seems that we've managed to get miss prim and proper quite angry."

At that, the girl began laughing, before she was quickly joined by the other two standing next to her.

"What's the matter, Gasai?" the girl spoke once more. "Angry that you got interrupted from your little game? Or perhaps 'cause we hit a nerve earlier with our greeting?"

Another series of laughing followed, however, seeing that the rose haired girl still didn't seem to properly acknowledge her presence, the maroon haired girl added with a sneer.

"Come on, bitch, say something."

Ignoring the obvious taunting, Yuno schooled her features, until only a small frown remained visible on her brow.

"I suggest you stop wasting my time and go away before my patience runs thin" she replied smoothly, giving each of the girls a brief glance before she dismissed them as if they weren't even worthy of her time.

Her response, however, didn't seem to be very appreciated by any of the three girls as they immediately glowered at her with anger reflecting in their eyes as well as on their faces.

"You think that you can threaten me, bitch?!" the girl with maroon hair hissed out, before a malicious grin slowly replaced her previously irate expression. "Well, let's see if you will still say that after we are done with you."

Following those words, the girl snapped her fingers, prompting Yuno to quickly turn around and look behind her as she had heard a rustling of the leaves and branches.

However, as soon as she turned the other way, her eyes immediately widened when she was faced with the unfamiliar visages of three dark haired boys, two of which had wasted no second and quickly grabbed her arms in an attempt to hold her still.

Despite her fierce struggling, the two slightly older boys had eventually managed to overpower her and restrained her movements, while the third one helped the others turn her around until she once again faced the three girls who now had smirks plastered on their faces.

A scowl quickly found its way on Yuno's face as she stopped concealing her anger and openly glared at the smug looking girls in front of her.

"Let go of me this instant!" she almost snarled, her rage barely under control as she glowered at her captors, prompting the boy holding her right hand to visibly flinch after taking a glimpse at her smoldering eyes.

"Ohh, so scary, Gasai" the maroon haired girl mocked, before she directed her gaze at the boy who had previously taken a small step behind in fear. "Get you act together, Junichi!" she barked at him. "Can't you see that she's all bravado and no bite?"

The boy simply gave a quick nod followed by his rather meek reply. "Y-Yes, Ruri!"

The girl now identified as Ruri returned her gaze to the restrained form of Yuno, before she let out a derisive laugh. "What, Gasai? Not so bold anymore?" she taunted, giving another laugh, before she was joined by the other two girls and two of the boys.

Yuno, on the other hand, continued to glare at them as her mind was trying to come up with a way to get herself out of her predicament.

Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly see any possible way for her to get out of this on her own, as she couldn't overpower the two boys who were keeping her restrained, nor could she try anything rash without making sure that she at least had a way to follow up.

Thus, she was left with either waiting for one of them to make a mistake that she could use in her favor, or with waiting for Naruto to return and help her.

The rose haired girl was brought out of her thoughts when she heard that girl, Ruri, speak once more, before she felt herself being dragged by the three boys.

"Alright, boys, let's get going" she ordered as she started walking toward the tree line. "We can't be doing this in plain sight now, can we?"

As soon as that last sentence was registered in her mind, Yuno felt a chill run down her spine as dread slowly began to take ahold of her at the possible implications.

She quickly came to the conclusion that they weren't exactly as stupid as she had initially thought, and that they must have carefully planned this scheme of theirs.

However, that did not deter her, as she would still be doing whatever she could to get herself out of her predicament, or at least stall it as much as she could before Naruto came to help her.

If there was one thing that she was sure of, then it was the fact that Naruto would definitely find her, no matter how far in that forest they dragged her.

But until then, she would have to fight back as much as she could.

#####

 **Meanwhile with Naruto...**

A frown marred his ethereal visage while his pale eyes registered what was transpiring a considerable distance away from him, since it seemed that those insects had actually gone through with their scheme as soon as he had left.

He had known that he and Yuno had been watched for most of the day, however, he had hoped that the fools following them would have enough sense of self-preservation to not actually attempt whatever they might have been after.

But in the end, it had turned out that they were indeed foolish enough to do it.

Still, he had not been too angered, for he had quickly realized that he could obtain something beneficial from their scheme.

However, he had been rather displeased due to the fact that he would have to allow Yuno's peace of mind to be slightly disturbed in order for him to achieve what he had proposed.

He did not want to have her experience any sort of stress, but at the same time, he was curious to see how she would act in such a situation.

So, reluctantly, he had decided to let her fend off for herself for a short while, because he had wanted to see the extent of her will himself.

He might have been able to infer it from some of her actions thus far, however, he had never seen it with his own two eyes.

Which was why he had used the opportunity of being asked to buy some water in order to watch her from afar in the case that those who had been following them were to strike.

And so far, he had been very pleased with how Yuno had been doing.

Even after being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, she had not once wavered in her resolve and had continued to show a willpower that had left him impressed.

And yet, he could have never expected the sight which he had been shown when those fools had revealed to Yuno what their scheme entailed.

The sheer wrath that had been reflected in her eyes when she had been told what would await her had left him shocked and then impressed as he had watched something which he could have only described as a caged titan fighting back against its bindings with nothing but utter defiance.

It had been a magnificent display, and the feelings which had been evoked within him by it had left him astonished.

However, that had not lasted for very long, as he had been immediately brought out of that state when he had noticed what would be happening next if he were to not intervene.

And that was the reason for why such an expression of anger was currently present on his visage as he watched through his all-seeing white eyes how those insects attempted to touch what belonged to him. To try and tarnish with their filth that which was pure.

He did not know ever since he had come to consider her as being his, but it did not matter, for right now he would have to show those insects that there was a steep price to pay for their audacity.

Not even a split second later, and he vanished in thin air.

#####

White hot rage began to course through her being as her mind had just registered the words that had just been spoken to her.

That bitch—no, that _insect_ had dared to claim that those other three insects that have been keeping her restrained so far would actually have their way with her?

That they would attempt to touch her body? The body that she had dedicated to her Naruto?! Touched by vermin?!

That they would try to take what only belonged to him?! That they would defile her?! Taint her mind and soul with their vile, repulsive filth?!

Never.

Her blood boiled at the mere thought that anything else other than her beloved would attempt to touch her, and she already felt dirty just by hearing those words.

She would not allow such a thing to happen.

They would not touch her.

No.

Her anger spiked even further as those words from before continued to echo through her mind.

Nobody else other than her Naruto would touch her in such a manner.

She would not permit them!

No.

"You will not touch me..."

Her voice was but a whisper and her eyes were burning with righteous anger.

And despite her captors hearing her faint words with clarity, they had no time to contemplate, for in less than a second after she had spoken, she had finally let out all of her accumulated anger in one single mighty heave.

With a strength that completely belied her lithe frame and with a wrath that had no place on such an angelic face, Yuno let out an almost animalistic growl as she pulled her arms with all of her might.

And then, with the fury of a maddened titan that had just broken its millennia old shackles, she took a step forward.

#####

"You will not touch me..."

Those words had been their only warning, as in the blink of an eye, the two boys keeping the rose haired girl's arms restrained had been thrown to the ground in front of her like rag dolls, while the third one standing in front of her was lifted over her back and sent hurtling to the grass covered soil behind her.

Yuno took another step, her movements slow and deliberate as she glared with piercing intensity at the shocked faces of the three girls standing only a few feet away from her.

The sheer amount of fury reflected in her cerise eyes was enough to make those three take a step back in obvious fright.

"W-What the hell?!" the girl with blond hair spoke with a stutter, her fear at the menacing sight before her evident in her voice. "H-How did she do that?!"

"S-She's gone mad!" the brunette girl to the right shouted in fright, before she turned to the girl next to her. "Ruri, do something! She looks like she's ready to kill us!"

The maroon haired girl, however, didn't seem to respond as she simply stood rooted in place, unable to tear her gaze away from the pair of eyes that were glaring at her with wrathful intensity.

She was only brought out of her stupor when the enraged girl took another step in her direction, moment when she immediately panicked and shouted.

"K-Kenta, do something!"

She was ready to shout once more when she saw Yuno attempt to take another step toward her, however, a relieved sigh escaped her mouth instead as she saw her boyfriend tackle the rose haired girl to the ground.

"Junichi, Hiro, help me!" the dark haired boy barked, prompting the other two to quickly scramble to their feet and rush toward him.

The three boys had managed to once again restrain Yuno, however, even pinned to the ground as she was, she continued to put up incredible resistance as she struggled to break free from their grip.

"Dammit, bitch, stay still!"

A moment later, Yuno felt a searing pain explode in her abdomen when the boy identified as Kenta had delivered a heavy blow to her stomach, knocking the air out of her.

She had to suppress a wince when she took a slightly ragged breath to refill her lungs, and she knew that the previous punch would be leaving her with an ugly bruise.

"I warned you" the boy spoke once more. "So, it's your fault for not listening."

As soon as those words reached Yuno's ears, she began thrashing even harder and was about to free one of her arms when another strong punch to her abdomen momentarily stopped her from her flailing.

"Are you fucking stupid?!" the same boy shouted at her. "Or do you like being hit?! Tell me, bitch!"

Yuno felt another sharp pain in her stomach, but this time she did not even flinch. Instead she simply glared at him, her cerise orbs showing an utter defiance that seemed to anger the boy even further.

The girl had braced herself for another hit, however, she never felt it come, as the boy's fist was stopped by the one sitting to her left who had barely caught it in time with one of his hands.

"Stop it, moron!" that boy, Hiro, yelled at his friend. "Do you want to kill her?!"

"I was just teaching her a lesson" Kenta retorted as he shook off the arm holding his fist. "Now shut up and hold her still while I try to take off her clothes. It's been already enough time, and if we don't hurry we'll risk getting caught."

"Whatever... idiot..." Hiro mumbled under his breath as he put even more of his weight on the girl's left arm.

Seeing as Kenta took out a pocket knife from his jacket and brought it near the restrained girl's blouse, the other boy who had been silent ever since the maroon haired girl had yelled at him earlier decided to speak.

"Don't you think that we're taking it too far?" he questioned, prompting the boy holding the knife to give him a sharp look.

"How about you stop being a wimp and instead make sure that she doesn't move. 'Cause if she does, I might accidentally cut something else other than her clothes" Kenta retorted harshly while waving his knife for emphasis. "'Kay, Junichi?"

"O-Okay!" the boy quickly replied as he made sure to apply more force on the girl's right arm.

Returning back to his task at hand, Kenta brought his knife once more near the collar of Yuno's blouse, however, before he could have moved his hand even another millimeter, he froze, his body suddenly seizing up as if under the effect of an invisible force.

Not even a moment later, his knife dropped from his hand as he fell to the side like a marionette whose strings had been suddenly cut.

The other two boys quickly followed suit, they too falling motionless on the grassy soil as though life had simply left them.

#####

When Yuno saw the three boys who had been keeping her restrained up to that point suddenly fall off of her and to the ground motionless she knew that something had happened.

Something peculiar, because she had not seen any previous indication of their abrupt demise.

No gunshot wound. No needles sticking out of them. No knives in their skulls. No nothing.

They had just dropped to the ground as if someone or something had simply willed them to death.

She did not know what had happened and she could neither come up with any logical explanation to what she had just witnessed.

One moment they had been alive, and the other they were lying on the ground motionless. Lifeless.

Putting aside her thoughts about the mysterious demises of those three boys for the time being, Yuno slowly brought herself in a sitting position, but had to suppress a wince when a sharp pain shot from her bruised abdomen.

However, her attention was quickly brought away from her current pain when she took in the sight that welcomed her only a few feet in front of her.

Those three girls who had been awfully silent ever since her earlier outburst were now quite the sight to behold, and she could not help but allow a small smile to settle on her lips when she saw the pathetic state that they were currently in.

The brunette one was splayed on the ground, seemingly unconscious and with the beginning of a wet spot slowly forming on the front of her skirt.

The blonde one was sitting on all fours, puking her guts out.

And lastly, the maroon haired one was rather surprisingly still standing, however, she seemed to be somehow immobilized as well, and was silently shaking in what she could only assume to be terror as tears were falling from her wide open eyes.

Yuno's mind once again wondered to these inexplicable occurrences and their possible causes as she tried to find a logical explanation for what her eyes were currently showing her, however, just as before, she could not come up with anything.

Or, at least, not until she saw _him_.

The sound of twigs cracking and leaves rustling immediately brought the rose haired girl's attention to her right, and she had to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes when she saw the face which had emerged from the shadows of the many trees surrounding her position.

Her beloved, her Naruto, was heret! And he had come for her just as she had known that he would.

She continued to watch him as he slowly walked in her direction, his gentle visage rapidly filling her with warmth and safety.

She tried to take a step toward him, however, another sharp pain flared from her stomach, prompting her to wince and stop in her tracks.

It seemed that her injury was more serious than she had thought, however, it was still nothing more than one hell of a bruise. So, it was relatively fine.

Moving her hand over to her bruised abdomen in an attempt to soothe the pain, Yuno glanced back at Naruto, but as soon as she saw his eyes, she was no longer able to hold back her tears.

Gone was the previous warmth in them, as it had been replaced by an anger of an intensity that sent chills down her spine.

It was not the kind of anger that had took ahold of her being earlier when she had been driven into a maddened rage.

No, this anger in his eyes was focused and perfectly contained. It was controlled and directed only where it had to be.

And yet, she knew that it was not directed at her, and that was exactly the reason why she had been unable to keep herself from crying.

She was happy. So happy that he cared about her to such an extent that by merely seeing her in pain was enough to incite so much fury from him.

But just as it had previously come, all of the anger was gone from his eyes in less than a few seconds, as it was once more replaced with the previous gentleness and warmth.

And then, she felt herself get pulled close to his chest, his lean arms quickly encircling her lithe frame as she was filled with even more warmth, tenderness and security. So much that she could do nothing else but melt in his protective embrace.

"Be at ease, Yuno" she heard him whisper gently in her ear. "You have me with you now." He held her even tighter. "There is nothing to worry about anymore."

And she could do nothing but believe him. Because so far everything that he had said to her had become true.

She was held in his arms for another minute, before she felt his warmth eventually fade away as he stopped hugging her.

She idly noted that the sharp pain in her abdomen seemed to have somehow almost vanished during the time she had spent in his embrace, however, she quickly filed that thought for later when she saw him shift his attention to her previous captors.

Yuno watched in curiosity as Naruto turned around to face the three girls, before he began to slowly walk in their direction, his steps measured and his face set in a stern expression that looked more than frightening with how it was emphasized by his distinct lack of eyebrows and prominent eye ridges.

She felt no small amounts of satisfaction when she noticed how the still standing girl's eyes widened even further in horror as she kept staring at the young man's approaching form.

The girl's trembling was increasing in intensity with every step that Naruto took toward her, and she seemed to be fighting against her unresponsive body as she tried to will it to move.

By the time when the silver young man had reached the shaking girl's position, she seemed to have managed to overcome her fear and had gone on a mad dash toward the opposite direction, quickly disappearing among the thick foliage as she ran as fast as her legs carried her.

Seeing as her beloved had not seemed to be bothered by that development, Yuno realized that he must have had something planned in mind, and thus, she decided to simply watch the unfolding situation.

She wondered what he would be doing when she saw him stop right in front of the remaining two girls, and she seemingly got her answer as she watched him crouch down next to the still unconscious girl and the heaving one, before he grabbed a fistful of their hair and lifted them a few inches above ground, until they were up to his eye level.

The sudden pain that came with this action seemed to rouse the passed out girl back to consciousness, as well as stop the other one from her dry-heaving as both of them were now looking at his cold and narrowed eyes in abject terror.

"P-Please..." she heard the blonde girl stuttered. "H-Have m-mercy..."

"D-Don't k-kill us..." the brunette one struggled to speak over her fear.

Yuno almost scoffed at the girls' words. She sure did not seem to have part of any mercy from them!

A dry chuckle escaped the rose haired girl's lips after being faced with such hypocrisy on her classmates' part, before her attention was brought back to her beloved when she heard him chuckle after a few moments as well.

A small smile quickly found its way on her face at that. It seemed that he was just as amused as her upon hearing those girls' words.

Her smile became even wider when she saw the terrified expressions that formed on their faces when Naruto gave them his response to their previous pleas.

"I believe that the fact that you have been left alive up to this point has been an act of mercy in and of itself" she heard him state in a matter-of-fact tone that seemed to be completely out of place with the current amused smile tugging at his lips.

Then she saw him briefly glance at her, before she heard him continue. "Besides, it is not my place to offer you any of this mercy right now."

As soon as his words had reached Yuno's ears, a very familiar voice made itself known once more inside her mind.

' _They must pay for what they had tried to do to you...'_

Feeling in agreement with the voice, the rose haired girl glanced at the two girls whose eyes were now staring fearfully at her and offered them a sweet smile as she relished in the expressions that it had brought onto their faces.

"P-Please, n-no..."

"Please..."

The girls voiced as tears started to pool in their eyes, however, Yuno could care less.

She had not forced them to do any single one of the things that they had done, and now they would only be reaping what they had sown.

Her attention was brought once more to her beloved when she saw him start walking toward her with the two girls being dragged by their hair behind him as they flailed wildly and screamed their lungs out, all the while trying to free themselves from his iron grip.

"N-No!" the blonde girl screamed "I d-don't want to d-die!"

"L-Let me g-go!" the brunette cried. "N-No!

Yuno ignored their shrieking and looked at Naruto as he stopped a couple feet in front of her.

"Well, then" she heard him state in an even tone as he gave a quick glance to the still struggling girls, before he gazed back at her. "Their fate is yours to decide now."

' _Make them suffer...'_ the female voice spoke once more inside her mind, tempting her with its words.

Yuno sought her beloved's eyes once more, and as though understanding her unspoken question, he immediately replied.

"Offer them whatever punishment you deem to be necessary for what they had tried to do to you."

She briefly glanced at the two girls, noting that they were beginning to get exhausted from their constant flailing and that their voices were becoming hoarse from all of their screaming.

' _Death...'_ she heard the voice utter in a chilling tone. _'They deserve death.'_

The distinctively female voice continued to whisper inside Yuno's mind, and she felt herself slowly give in to its beguiling words.

' _They had hurt you... They had tried to defile you... They could have even deprived you of the warmth of Naruto... They deserve to be punished for their actions.'_

This was the second time when she had found herself to be so strangely in accord with the voice inside her head, and she could not help but agree with its suggestions.

' _Yes, Yuno... They deserve only death for their sins... Slow, agonizing death.'_

As the last of her resistance vanished, Yuno heard one last whisper from the voice, before she felt her consciousness begin to slowly drift away.

' _Yes... Let me help you...'_

#####

He felt like laughing. Laughing at the sheer irony of it all.

And how could he not? How could he not laugh when he had just realized that his entire metaphor of a flower blossoming which he had attributed to Yuno had actually been partially true?

At first, he had taken to using that metaphor as a way to simply describe the process of her rising above the degrading weakness of humanity, however, he would have never guessed that his metaphor actually reflected a hidden aspect of her. One which had been lying buried deep within her being for who knows how long.

And yet, here he was, standing before something that he could only describe as the epitome of bloodlust, wrath and mania, all blended perfectly into a beautiful yet deadly mix.

He wondered how had such a thing come into existence. But despite his curiosity, he would not pry, for he could never even fathom infringing upon her privacy.

She was not an insect like the others. No, she was special. And that was why he would never dare touch her privacy unless she wished for him to do as such. Because he respected her. Because he held her dear.

However, what he could do was to take a better glimpse at this hidden beauty of hers. To look at what she was displaying with better clarity. To try to feel it with his senses.

That way he would not invade upon her privacy, and he would be able to understand better what he was currently seeing with his unaided eye.

And so, he closed his eyes and when he opened them next, he was met with a world of utmost clarity. A world visible only through his all-seeing white eyes.

Focusing both his gaze and senses on the rose haired girl before him, he peered and at the same time also felt for the two energies that were present in each and every human or sentient creature alike, all the while making sure to avoid any other things of an intimate nature.

He first inspected her physical energy, and he quickly noted that it did not seem to be out of the ordinary for what appeared to be the norm in this world.

Then, he moved onto her spiritual energy, the one which was attributed to the consciousness of the individual's mind.

Once again, with great care so as to not to infringe upon her intimacy, he inspected her spiritual energy, and after no more than a brief moment, he immediately found the answer to his previous question.

Her spiritual energy seemed to be fluctuating rather wildly, as though a sort of struggle between wills was taking place within her mind and soul.

But that was not all.

With the unmatched perception given by his eyes, he was capable of actually seeing how her energy was slowly but progressively changing in aspect as it was being dominated by a much darker shade.

It truly did not take him very long to come up with an explanation for what was currently happening to his beautiful flower.

Despite the state of self-understanding and clarity that he had helped her reach through his subtle urging over the past few days, it seemed that he had not accounted for one possibility.

He had not considered the fact that she could have possessed hidden depths that one would have not been capable of becoming aware of under normal circumstances.

And given the fact that he would have never used his power to infringe upon her privacy, he decided that such lack of forethought on his part should be justified.

Still, the fact that he had been faced with such a surprise was making him very excited, for it meant that Yuno was even more unique than what he had initially thought.

But at the same time, this definitely pleasant revelation also brought him the answer to a question that he had been having ever since after their first date.

Though, with that answer came another question as well.

What could have happened to Yuno for her to repress parts of her own self to the point that they had given birth to another persona, an alter ego who embodied feelings and thoughts which had been forcibly locked away from her main personality?

He did not know and as much as he might have wish to find out, he was aware that this topic must have been incredibly sensitive to her if she had developed an alternate persona as a result. And for that reason alone, he would not even contemplate about prying.

He was certain that eventually she would reveal that particular aspect to him, however, until then he could wait. Or if he were to get a better picture by obtaining clues without directly invading her privacy, then he would bring the matter to her in a conversation and try to infer his answer based on her response.

Ending his musings for the time being, Naruto deactivated his dōjutsu and returned his attention to Yuno just in time to notice her start walking away from from him as if in a trance.

He briefly glanced at her eyes, only to feel a pleasant tingle run up and down his spine as he noticed the look that was being reflected in those seemingly dulled cerise pools.

While most would have certainly defined this repressed self of hers as some sort of inner darkness, he would never entertain such ignorance.

Regardless of the nature of those suppressed aspects, they had once been part of her and thus they were the same as any other parts of her personality. The sole thing that differentiated them was the fact that they were merely separated fragments, locked away from her once complete self. Fragments which he would make sure that were returned back into place, in order to help her achieve balance and harmony with herself. A state of wholeness that she would have to attain in order to finalize her blossoming.

Curious and expectant to see what Yuno would be doing, he continued to observe her while she took a few steps, until she abruptly stopped and crouched down as she picked up what appeared to be a rock slightly bigger than her fist from next to a tree.

Then he watched her return back to her previous spot in front of him, before she began staring at the two girls who were still squirming in his grip, albeit with much less vigor as fatigue seemed to have taken its hold on them.

Another tingle ran down his back as he saw the expression that was slowly forming on her face and he quickly realized what was about to happen.

The vengeful and bloodthirsty smile coupled with the manic glint in her eyes easily hinted at what would be transpiring within the next few minutes.

And he could not help but feel himself becoming thrilled at such a prospect, since it reminded him of what he had witnessed only a few minutes prior, when he had seen her strike down those insects with the wrath of a titan that had just been freed from its millennia old prison.

But more so than that, he wished to see more of what had fascinated him ever since he had first seen her. He wanted to see each and every aspect that defined the beautiful and delicate flower who had managed to mesmerize him to such an extent.

His attention was brought back to his surroundings when he heard a rather loud _thwack_ followed by a horrified scream which came from his left.

When he slightly turned his head to look, he was welcomed by the sight of a manic looking Yuno who seemed to have slipped into a bloodthirsty rampage and was continuously hitting the blonde haired girl with the rock that she had previously picked up.

He ignored the screams coming from the girl that was repeatedly being bashed over her face with a rock, as well as the desperate pleas coming from the brunette girl whose hair he was holding in his other hand, and he instead focused completely on Yuno as he admired the exquisite expression that was currently present on her beautiful features.

And the more he watched her, the greater he felt his pride for her become.

The strong will power that she had shown from the very begging of her conflict... To the way she unendingly fought to defend her dignity.

From her willingness to do whatever necessary in order to preserve said dignity... To the very moment when she had lashed out like a fierce tigress at the indignity that she could have possibly suffered at the hands of those animals.

How could he not be proud of her? How could he not feel such great pride when, in his eyes, the very last one of the shackles that had once so tightly clung around her, finally shattered this very moment?

By the time he was done with his musings, Naruto noticed that the blonde girl to his left seemed to have gone completely limp at some point, and judging by how caved in her face appeared to be, as well as by how many bits of gore were present on his jacket, he could safely assume that she was dead.

So, he spent no more time holding onto her lifeless body and promptly let it fall from his grip as it landed on the grass beneath with a _thud_.

Following that, he turned his gaze to his left where he saw how Yuno was repeating her previous procedure as she was now applying it to the brunette girl, however, his attention was once more focused solely on the rose haired girl when he saw her suddenly freeze mid swing, the bloodstained rock falling from her grip as her hand began to tremble.

His pale eyes quickly sought her face, and he immediately saw the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, as well as the horrified expression which was slowly spreading over her shocked features.

Not even a moment later, he clearly understood what was happening when he heard her let out an anguished wail as she collapsed on her knees, before she started crying.

#####

Her wide eyes were staring in horror at her shaking hands as she watched the still fresh blood staining them slowly drip onto the grass.

Tears were freely trailing down her anguished face as she silently wept in despair at the single thought that was being repeated over and over in her mind.

She had lost... everything...

In less than five minutes she had lost everything that she had... Everything that ever brought her happiness and joy... Everything that she cared for... Everything that gave meaning to her life...

She had lost him...

...the one she loved so much that she could not live without...

...And all of that happened because of what she had just done...

She had killed them.

She had failed to resist the tempting voice inside her head and she had allowed her darkness to consume her. She had let it take control of her and make her kill those two in front of him.

It was her fault... It was her fault for allowing that to happen...

...And because of that, she had now lost him...

' _Would you stop being so pathetic already?!'_

Yuno tensed as soon as she heard the very familiar voice snap in annoyance inside her mind.

' _All I did was kill those two harlots! As punishment for what they had tried to do to us!_

She felt anger slowly bubble within herself as she listened to the voice, which seemed to be getting more loud with every uttered word, yet she managed to prevent the rage from taking ahold of her.

' _I did what I had to do in order to protect our dignity... I helped you! So stop being melodramatic and get your damned act together!'_

The moment when those last few words registered inside her mind, the rose haired girl was no longer able to hold back her anger any longer and immediately lashed out, fueled even further by all of the despair which had drowned her thoughts in a sea of darkness.

"Helped me...?" her voice was barely above a whisper, but her words were clear and held an edge that could have easily cut through stone.

A few seconds passed, before she spoke once more, seemingly to no one but herself from an outside perspective, however, this time her words came out as harsh and filled with rage and sorrow.

"You take everything away from me and claim that you did it in order to help me?!"

Her voice got louder and louder with every spoken word, until it turned into an almost deafening cry that seemed to do little to properly convey the extent of her pain and misery.

"You do all of that and then say that you helped me?! HELPED ME?!"

By the time she was done shouting, tears were once again flowing freely down her reddened cheeks, but as opposed to her previous silent weeping, this time anguished sobs were also escaping her mouth as she seemed to be struggling with the torrent of emotion that had just swept her.

' _If he cannot accept what I did—what we did... then he is not meant to be with you...'_ the voice made itself known once more, however, it now sounded noticeably different from before, coming off as less irate and, surprisingly, even slightly consoling.

Unfortunately, despite its attempt at offering some form of comfort to the young girl, it did nothing to alleviate any of her distress, and seemed to have actually worsened the situation.

"P-Please..." Yuno forced out through her choked sobs and tears as she struggled to finish her sentence. "J-Just... just leave m-me alone..."

Yet, the voice did not listen to her plea as it seemingly ignored just how close to completely breaking down the girl was and continued with its poignant words.

' _Don't you get it?!'_ it asked, sounding almost incredulous. _'If he is incapable of accepting what I represent, then he is not the one! If he cannot accept the whole of you, then you are better off withou—'_

Yuno was on the verge of losing whatever hope that she had desperately tried to cling onto as she continued to listen to the words spoken by that voice inside her mind, and just before she could have fallen into the dark depths of the abyss which was her despair, she was momentarily brought to a stop when she noticed the sudden vanishing of the voice.

However, she did not have any time to dwell on that, as she was almost immediately snapped out of her woeful thoughts the moment she heard her name being called by him.

"Yuno."

A moment later, as if being pulled away from the abrupt edge of the abyss by a hand offering her salvation, Yuno felt her hope return back when she turned around and was faced with a gentle and caring visage framed by silken and flowing snow-white hair.

After she had sought his eyes, for a split second, she had thought that their normally pale color had been replaced by a mesmerizing purple decorated with dark concentric rings, however, she quickly dismissed that as either her imagination or the light playing tricks to her own eyes when she noticed that his eyes were back to the same color after he blinked.

And then, all of her thoughts were brought to a stop when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap her in a comforting hug as they pulled her into a chest radiating a calming warmth.

#####

 **Meanwhile, within Yuno's mind...**

Over the past few years, it had done everything that it could have in order to fulfill its purpose in existence.

Ever since it had come into existence, it had done everything within its power to make sure that the one who had created it was being kept safe and protected.

Even from her own self if it would have ever been needed.

However, not very long ago, it had almost failed, as its originator's life had been very close to being snuffed out as a consequence to her being overcome by despair so fast that it could have done nothing to prevent it.

And yet, such had not been the case, for she had been saved from sure death by a young man who had brought a great change into her life in only a few days.

And that had been the moment when it had wondered if this man would be the one to whom it would eventually entrust its mission in existence—that of protecting its creator.

So, it had simply waited and carefully observed him while it dutifully continued its task, until the moment when she would have certainly been sure that _he_ was indeed the one who could be entrusted its purpose of protecting _her_.

However, it would have never expected the revelation that it had been faced with only a few moments prior.

The very moment when it saw those enormous ringed eyes stare down at it with their admonitory gaze as though they could pierce through her very essence at any moment, it instantly froze. It simply froze under the weight of the glare that those eyes were giving it, and all traces of whatever previous thoughts were gone from its mind as it could only think about one single thing.

He was the one. He was the one who would keep her safe in its stead. He was truly the one whom she needed.

And then came the voice. _His_ voice. A silent whisper which sounded akin to a thunderous bellow to its ears.

"That is enough! You shall be silent and you shall stop causing her any more distress!" it heard him utter, and while it could not comprehend how such a thing was even possible, it knew that it did not matter, for its purpose was nearly over.

"You have been warned."

As soon as it heard the last word being spoken, it felt itself being rapidly pushed away by a puissant force which shoved it toward the innermost part of its creator's subconscious.

' _I don't have to protect her anymore... I... no... we—for we will soon become one—have you now... Naruto...'_ were its thoughts as it was slowly vanishing.

However, before it could have been completely gone, it felt a wave of regret and guilt wash over it as memories of it tormenting Yuno with many of its attempts at protecting her flashed through its mind.

' _I'm so sorry, Yuno... I'm so, so sorry...'_

And with that last thought running through its mind, the voice that had been protecting Yuno in its own twisted way, finally disappeared from the conscious part of her mind.

#####

She did not know for how long she had been resting in his protective embrace, basking in his warmth, but she did not care.

Her misty eyes were no longer shedding any tears, and her features no longer denoted any of the earlier emotional pain or despair.

From the very moment when she had seen his visage and felt his arms wrap protectively around her lithe frame, she had realized that she had never lost any of what she had previously thought to have lost.

And that had made her feel guilty... guilty for ever doubting him... the one whom she loved so much... her Naruto.

"Naruto..." she began as she slightly raised her head from his chest, looking at his gently smiling face. "I am so sor—"

She did not get to finish speaking as she quickly found a pale and slender finger slowly press itself against her slightly parted lips, preventing any further words from escaping her mouth.

A red dusting slowly spread over her cheeks and she gave him a curious gaze as she wondered why he had stopped her from speaking.

"I am the one who should be apologizing, Yuno..." she heard him speak. "It is my fault for not doing this earlier... for not telling you what I should have ever since I had realized it..."

As she listened to his words, she felt her heart beat faster and she could do nothing to stop her mind from coming up with various wild scenarios in anticipation to what he would be saying to her next.

The answer that she had actually received, however, had completely taken her by surprise as she would have never thought that she was going to hear him say such a thing to her any time soon.

"You belong to me, Yuno, now and forever" she heard him utter, and the tone of his voice sent pleasant shivers up and down her spine as she looked deep into his pale eyes, unable to tear away her gaze from his own. "And I shall never leave you, my Yuno, no matter what."

She continued to look at him, momentarily transfixed by the words that her mind had just registered, but as soon as the initial shock began to vanish, she could not stop the tears that were rapidly beginning to fall anew from her cerise eyes.

And yet, as opposed to the last time, right now she was not crying because of her sorrow and despair.

No.

This time, the tears pouring from her eyes were those of joy and hope. And they seemed to be endless. Just like the emotions of happiness that were currently welling up inside of her.

Almost a minute had passed since Naruto had spoken those words to her, and she had yet to show any other reaction besides the salty liquid trailing down her reddened cheeks and the expression of pure joy present on her features.

Whatever traces of despair that might have still been left within her mind had been promptly melted away, and in their wake, a refined, undiluted expression of love made its way.

If she had loved him dearly until now, as of the past couple minutes, Yuno was certain that there did not exist words that could have properly conveyed the extent of her new feelings for him.

She simply loved him with every fiber of her body, and she doubted that there was anything that she would not do for him.

That was how much she loved him. So much that she would gladly even die for him if it meant that he would live.

Yuno was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt one of the arms still encircling her move down her back, however, before she could have wondered about it, she quickly felt the ground disappear from below her feet.

A vivid blush instantly adorned her beautiful face as she was met with the smiling visage of Naruto and she had to stop herself from squealing in surprise and delight when she realized that she had been swept off her feet and that she was currently being carried just like a princess.

Resuming to letting out a cute giggle instead, she gave him a playful smile as she asked.

"Where to, my handsome prince?"

The reply that she received from the equally amused snow haired young man did not seem to surprise her all that much.

"Why, to your palace, my beautiful princess."

A few moments later, she began giggling once again, which prompted her beloved to also let out a light chuckle, before he started walking slowly toward the tree line as he gently carried her in his arms, holding her close to the warmth of his chest.

#####

As he was walking through the relatively small forest with Yuno in his arms while her head rested comfortably against his chest, Naruto silently contemplated about how his view on her, as well as his feelings for her had changed.

Despite having initially postponed it in favor of his timely intervention, by the time when he had seen her so close to having both a mental and emotional breakdown, he had known that he had to tell her what he had realized ever since he had first seen her hold herself in such a magnificent manner.

So, he had finally admitted, both to her and to himself, that he had come to see her as belonging to him, something which he knew that she most definitely reciprocated.

But by having done that, he was also aware that he had acknowledged the fact that he had begun to experience the blossoming of a feeling which he had seen and heard of, yet he had never experienced himself.

And knowing such a thing, it only filled him with anticipation and excitement, since he could barely wait to see how this new and exquisite feeling would further develop.

But until then, he would have to first explore more of this delightful emotion alongside with the one whom had managed to enkindle it within his being.

Finishing his previous train of thought, the snow haired young man glanced down at the rose haired girl in his arms, only to have his gaze be met with her own curious one.

"Hey, Naruto, what were you thinking about so deeply?" he heard Yuno ask in a slightly curious tone and with an expression which could not be described as anything but adorable.

"You, of course" he replied almost instantly, his lips slowly upturning into a smile.

As he observed her reaction to his previous words, he found the blush that had quickly adorned her cheeks to be particularly lovely, and he could not help but bring her lithe frame even closer to his chest.

He heard her mumble something in the fabric of his white shirt which prompted him to let out a light chuckle, but that seemed to only make the red dusting on Yuno's cheeks more prominent as she burrowed her face even more deeply into his chest.

Several moments passed in relative silence, before he heard Yuno speak once more as she turned to look at him with a curious glint in her eyes.

"There is something that I've been wondering about ever since you came to help me..."

He was not all that surprised to hear her words, since he was aware that she might have had some questions after seeing the rather peculiar occurrences which had taken place only a few seconds before his very timely arrival.

"Of course" he replied almost immediately. "Ask away, my dear."

He was once again treated to the adorable sight of seeing Yuno blush as she must have most likely noticed the way he had addressed her, however, that did not seem to deter her too much as she eventually managed to voice out her question.

"It's about those three boys that appeared to have just dropped dead around a minute before you had arrived... Did you kill them, Naruto?"

A small smirk found its way on his lips as he listened to her words.

He had been expecting her to ask him this question, given the mysterious circumstances that had surrounded his arrival, so he had decided ever since that if she were to ask him, then he would not withhold any information regarding it.

But besides that, he did not see any problem with disclosing this tidbit of information to her, since it would help with some of the things that he would have to explain when the time for him to make the grand reveal of his origins to her were to finally come.

"That I did" he admitted coolly. "Although, at first I had not intended to kill them per say," a frown crossed his visage as he added. "It was only after I had seen them dare to touch you that I had decided to be a bit more radical with my approach," his features softened and a slightly baffled expression made its way on his face. "But even so, I had only blasted them with an amount of sakki which I had expected to simply leave them in a coma... So, I suppose that it had been just unfortunate for them that they had not been capable of withstanding even such little of my killing intent without dying."

The confused look that he had received from Yuno at the end of his speech told him exactly what she would be asking next.

"I see, but... isn't killing intent a concept that only exists in fiction?"

He stared at her puzzled expression for a few seconds, before he gave her a knowing smile.

"Oh, I assure you that it is a very real concept" he spoke with a light chuckle. "The only reason you might have thought otherwise is because not many are capable of producing and focusing it to any substantial degree. And even in that case, killing intent is first perceived on a subconscious level, which means that it is very hard to identify it for what it is, unless one has had any prior experiences in dealing with it."

Finishing his explanation, he gave Yuno a few moments to digest the information before he added. "Besides, you should be at least remotely aware of how killing intent operates, given how you had used it yourself at least twice in the past hour," a fond expression made its way on his face as he recalled those two particular moments which had left him mesmerized at the beauty that she had shown him. "And let me tell you this," he leaned in closer to her as he whispered directly into her ear. "You had been a magnificent sight to behold, my dear."

When he looked at her next, he was met with a fierily blushing face, which despite the rather noticeable embarrassment, also expressed such a degree of love that he was momentarily rendered speechless by it as a wave of warmth surged through his being.

By the time he recovered from the definitely exquisite experience, he was certain that there was much more to that incredible feeling which he had only recently discovered to be blossoming within him.

His attention was quickly brought back to Yuno when he heard her mumble once again from his shirt, her voice being much more distinguishable this time, despite the fact that she must have been feeling definitely more embarrassed than the last time.

"I-I see... Thank you, Naruto..."

Hearing that, he simply offered her a smile, before he returned his gaze to the end of the tree line in front of him as the both of them slowly fell into a comfortable silence.

However, unbeknownst to the rose haired girl gently cradled within his arms, as soon as the snow haired young man stepped out of the small forest and back into the greenery of the park, from one of the trees behind him, a clone almost identical to him except for its wooden texture began to emerge, before it rapidly gained his exact features and color as it shot out of the bark, heading in the same direction where he had been coming from.

#####

 **With Naruto's clone...**

It took the clone less than a few seconds to return back to the small clearing where the previous events had taken place, and as soon as it did, it began walking toward the three still bodies of the boys who had died as a result of being subjected to the original's small dose of killing intent.

However, after only a couple steps, the clone's attention was quickly brought away from the three corpses when it heard a faint gurgle coming from several feet to its left.

Slightly turning its head to regard the source of the previous noise, the wood clone was definitely surprised by what it came to witness.

Lying with her face in a pool of her own blood, the brunette the girl from before, the one whose face Yuno had suddenly stopped pounding due to her wrestling back the control from the entity which had been possessing her, appeared to be much more alive than the original had initially thought her to be.

Although, it would have been wrong to say that he had actually checked to see if the girl was indeed dead, since he had been much more preoccupied with his beautiful bloodthirsty temptress, and thus, he had simply assumed that girl to be dead after a fleeting glance at her disfigured face and unmoving body.

However, now that the clone gave the bloodied girl a more thorough inspection, it was definitely right to say that she had survived the ordeal, albeit if barely, since with the current head trauma and internal bleeding that she presented, she would be dead in less than a few minutes.

Still, that did not mean it was not at least a little impressed.

Actually, it was more than just a little impressed, since the girl must have possessed quite the will and desire to live in order to survive for such a long time with these grievous injuries.

Deciding that the original would definitely wish to know about this discovery, the wood clone immediately relayed the information to him, and was not that much surprised when it felt him assume direct control of it as he most likely wished to deal with the current situation himself.

So, with a mental acquiescence, the clone felt its consciousness return back to the original as it was absorbed into his own, before its body was left under his direct control.

The first thing that Naruto did through the wood clone's body was to take a few moments to laugh in amusement at the scene that he beheld through its eyes.

And the fact that he was already in very high spirits due to the events which had just taken place only minutes prior served to only further fuel his mirth.

Truly, it was quite the entertaining scenario, since he had not been expecting for that insect to have actually survived for this long.

In the end, it seemed that his comparison had been quite fitting, given how easily he could attribute a cockroach's resilience to the brunette girl.

Still, regardless of how similar to an insect she might have been, Naruto could not deny one simple fact. She was a rather entertaining insect. That was certain.

For her to manage to survive against such odds, it definitely amused him, and despite the fact that he did not completely understand the reason for why he felt so entertained by this occurrence, he wondered if he should perhaps reward her for being capable of clinging onto life for such a long time.

She had definitely exhibited some interesting resolve with her struggle to live, and if nothing else, he always acknowledged a strong will. That was one of the very few things that he never overlooked, nor left unappreciated.

Therefore, he decided to offer the dying girl a _reward_ for managing to entertain him to such an extent, and began walking toward her prone form.

As he crouched down next to her face, he slightly raised a nonexistent eyebrow when he noticed her eyes widen in what he had identified to be pure horror, before an expression denoting the same emotion quickly took over her mutilated features as well.

He felt another faint flicker of amusement when he understood what must have prompted such a reaction from her. She must have definitely thought that he had returned to make sure that she was dead.

Another gurgle interrupted his brief musings, prompting him to focus back on the moribund girl as he noted that she seemed to be very close to choking on her own blood.

Deciding that this was as good of a moment that there would ever be for him to offer the girl her _reward_ , Naruto allowed an eerie smile to tug at his lips as he spoke.

"Tell me, human... how much do you wish to live?"

The reaction that his words elicited from the almost dead girl as soon as she had registered them prompted the young man to let out an amused chuckle.

He thought that it had definitely been entertaining to watch how her expression had instantly turned from horrified to shocked, then to hopeful, before it returned back to fearful.

"Hmm..." he hummed as he continued to stare in the hopeful yet frightened eyes of the brunette girl. "I suppose that given your current condition, showing would have been a much more proper term for me to use..." he mused as his eyes never left those of the girl struggling desperately to maintain her rapidly slipping hold on life.

"Anyway, I have nonetheless seen the extent of your desire and have acknowledged it. You might be a pathetic creature, but you have shown me quite the strength of will. A worthy attribute to possess, and one that I never leave unappreciated."

Following his words, Naruto brought his right hand next to the girl's face, and tapped her bloodied forehead with his index finger.

As soon as he drew back his finger, it could be clearly seen that the skin beneath his touch had been made clean of any trace of the previous blood, in its place being now present a rather intricate pattern which was glowing in a whitish light.

Said light slowly diminished over the course of the next couple seconds, before it finally died down completely as it left behind an identical symbol, consisting of many complicated black lines, which gleamed once more before it promptly vanished from the girl's flesh.

Not even a moment after that occurred, the young man opened his hand and placed it over the girl's face as it was lit up in a green aura.

The effects appeared to be instant, and as soon as the glow of his hand illuminated the flesh beneath, all of the injuries began to rapidly mend themselves as the bone and cartilage were being reformed while the flesh was knitted back together.

By the time Naruto was finished with healing the girl, even the blood staining both her face and the grass below was no longer present, with the sole thing that could have indicated her previous near death experience being the multitude of scars that littered the skin of her face.

He might have decided to _reward_ her, however, that had only included her being brought back from death's door. Not completely recuperated.

But besides that, given the fact that she had contributed in the scheme which had brought such distress to Yuno, the girl did not deserve anything more than what she had already been granted.

Noticing that the brunette girl had at some point recovered enough in order to move and had scuttled a few feet away from him, until she had stopped when her back had hit the bark of a tree, Naruto spent a few moments glancing at the equal part frightened and stupefied expression on her face, before he finally spoke.

"You must be wondering why you are unable to speak, correct?"

The further widening of the terrified girl's eyes was an answer that told him everything that he might have wanted to know.

"Well, that side effect is merely a combination of your shock and me not allowing you to speak, since I truly do not feel like listening to you screaming as you would have most likely done were you able to utter any sound" he explained with a pleasant tone. "But rest assured that it will wear off as soon as I allow you to leave."

He took a moment to observe the girl's reaction, noting that she seemed to have calmed down a little, before he continued with his explanation.

"Now about that little light show that you must have definitely noticed before I healed you, it had simply been a precaution on my part, yet at the same time, it had been the punishment that you had due for daring to interfere with what belongs to me" he spoke, his tone taking on a darker edge toward the end, which prompted the shocked girl to flinch as her fear returned in full force.

The snow haired young man faced away from the girl huddled against the tree and voiced out once more as he raised his hand toward the three bodies in the distance, pointing his first three fingers at the corpses.

"Also," he began as the flesh at the tip of each of his extended fingers slowly parted away to reveal the ivory bone beneath. "That mark which I had branded you with is called a seal and its purpose is that of preventing you from revealing anything related to what had transpired during the past hour and few minutes, regardless of the means that you might think of employing in order to do as such."

Pausing as he fired the first phalanx from each of the three fingers, he moved his hand in the direction of the dead blonde girl and kept only his index finger extended as he repeated the procedure, before he observed how the bodies began to disintegrate as he resumed his speech.

"So, in other words, you will continue to live knowing every single detail of what you had witnessed today, but without being capable of divulging any of it to anyone else. A rather fitting punishment for what you had attempted to do, right?"

He briefly glanced back at the girl, noting her disbelieving expression as she had been watching the four bodies of her friends simply break down until only dust remained, before he addressed her one last time.

"Oh, and do not even think about trying to physically remove that seal by cutting up your flesh or whatnot, because I had the seal engraved directly onto your soul."

And with that, he materialized a small mirror which he dropped at the girl's feet, before he simply vanished from his spot, leaving behind the shocked girl and four small piles of dust that were quickly scattered away as a brief gust of wind blew through the clearing.

#####

A very faint scream coming from the far distance had told Naruto that the brunette girl from before must have taken a glimpse at her face after he had allowed her to speak once again.

However, as entertaining as that human might have been, her role had come to an end, so he promptly discarded her from his thoughts and instead he ordered the clone whose body he was directly controlling to focus on the sight which could be seen several feet ahead.

Currently bound against a rather large tree by a dozen of thick branches which prevented her struggling form to escape lay the form of a girl with waist-long and maroon colored hair.

Naruto took a few moments to think about what he should do with her.

On one hand, she was the one who had organized the entire scheme, therefore she should be given the greatest punishment of them all.

But on the other hand, she was also the one who had managed to entertain him the most by being capable of withstanding and then even snapping out of his killing intent, which normally should have put her out of commission.

The fact that she had figured out that one could overcome killing intent through pain was definitely another plus for her.

And on top of that, she had also managed to evade the branches that he had used in order to capture her for roughly three minutes! Not that he had put too much of an effort behind this apprehending of hers to begin with, since he had wanted to play a little mind game with her before he came to personally deliver her deserved punishment.

But still!

She had been amusing enough for him to decide that she deserved something a bit more tame than let's say spending the rest of eternity inside the King of Hell.

After several more moments of contemplation, Naruto seemed to have finally decided on the girl's punishment and began to slowly walk in her direction, purposely stepping on a few dried up twigs in order to make his presence known to her.

He quickly came to realize that he quite enjoyed the look of abject horror which had instantly creeped up her features the moment when she had noticed him head in her direction.

Deciding that it was only fair of him to offer her the common courtesy of allowing her to say something akin to her last words, as well as being curious to see if she would actually say something intelligent enough in order to perhaps amuse him even further, he willed the vines that had been keeping her mouth covered to temporarily recede as he waited patiently for her to speak.

However, the words which escaped her mouth after a few moments left him rather disappointed.

"S-Stay b-back..." she stuttered out despite the evident terror that had taken ahold of her. "S-Stay back, y-you m-monster! D-Dem— _mmphh_ "

Unfortunately, she was not able to finish what she might have wanted to say, because the vines from before had quickly covered her mouth tightly once again.

"And here I was expecting you to say something intelligent and even interesting" the white haired young man began in a disappointed tone. "But I guess that the ignorance which is so prevalent amongst your ilk had gotten in the way of your reasoning as well."

A frown marred his ethereal features as he observed her struggling form.

He did not truly expect her to understand his subtle allusion, but he did not feel like he had wasted his breath either, since he was sure that she would be having enough time to contemplate all of his words to a great extent after she received her punishment.

Deciding to add in a few more words before he finally wrapped everything up, Naruto addressed the bound girl once again.

"You know... in the past I used to be very disappointed and sometimes even sad whenever I saw such ignorance dominate the judgements of your kind. When people always labeled whatever they were incapable of comprehending with various denominations suggestive of 'evil' or otherwise negative connotations just because they were feeling threatened by them."

He paused as he briefly closed his eyes, opening them a moment later to show that they had completely changed from their normal aspect, the previously pale iris now being of an eerie crimson color, with the pupil having been joined by three more other of a comma-like shape, which were lazily spinning around it in a hypnotic manner.

By the time he resumed his speech, the girl in front of him seemed to have been left in too much of a shock after having witnessed the activation of his sharingan to be capable of properly understanding what he told her next.

"However, lately I have come to find your ignorance rather amusing, since it seems to serve as a further catalyst for the amusement that I can possibly derive from your species."

Ending his speech, he wasted no more time and gazed directly into her frightened eyes as he addressed her for the final time.

"Now then, I hope that you will enjoy your next experience, since you will be rather stuck with it for the rest of your life... Or until somebody decides to put you down out of mercy, or compassion, or whatever, because on the outside you will very much resemble a vegetable with how deep into a coma you will appear to be" he spoke with a pleasant smile as he took a not-so-small measure of delight upon seeing her horrified expression. "Anyway, sleep well and sweet dreams."

And with that, the tomoe in each of his sharingan began to spin faster as he weaved the genjutsu that he would place the girl into for the rest of her days, an illusion carefully tailored to best suit her and provide a very authentic yet personalized experience of what the girl had intended to have his Yuno go through, had he not intervened and stopped her little scheme.

Giving one last glance to the comatose girl who was still bound by the dozen of thick branches, he snapped his fingers, which prompted the tree to grow a few feet taller, until the girl was at a safe distance from the ground.

It would not do to have her be eaten by foxes or whatnot before somebody found her and brought her to a hospital, as such a thing would definitely ruin her fun way too early.

But besides that, it was once more a simple common courtesy on his part to make sure that she was kept safe, until somebody found her, that is.

And to sweeten the deal, he had even modified the tree she was bound to a bit and made it capable of supporting her life by feeding her nutrients through those vines that were strapped over her mouth.

What? He might view the humans as lowly beings unworthy of his attention, but he still had his etiquette and manners. After all, if one was dealing with basic creatures, then it did not automatically mean that one had to lower themselves at their level. However, if the creatures happened to be rabid, then he would, of course, put aside his civility as he proceeded to put them down swiftly.

Several moments of contemplation later, and Naruto realized that he was indeed done with the things involving those six humans, so he dusted his hands of the nonexistent dust, before he decided to dismiss the wood clone as he was more than busy with carrying Yuno back to her house, and maintaining his focus on the clone was slightly distracting him from his task.

So, with a simple mental command, the clone went still as it began to rapidly lose its distinctive features, before it eventually turned into a tree identical with the many others in its vicinity.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN: Well, it has sure been a while until the last time I had updated the story. Unfortunately, I had not been able to finish the chapter faster, due to the simple fact that university ate all of my free time. And whatever I had managed to write during the days when I actually could, amounted to merely half of this chapter. The other half I finished during the winter holiday and this past week.**

 **Also, my finals are coming in about three weeks, so until after them I won't be able to even open the Microsoft Word for anything not related to university work. But rest assured that I have another one week holiday after my finals, when I should be able to make up for these three weeks of not writing anything.**

 **Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Now, regarding the review responses, I would like to first thank everyone who had taken from their own time to leave a review. I truly appreciate it.**

 **Shiki Ouji sama: I'm glad that you have enjoyed the chapter. Also, thank you for the encouragement.**

 **Eternal-Tundra: Thank you for both the feedback and the encouragement. As for the 'Queen of Yandere', I hope that I had done it justice in this chapter. Also, what had happened now was just a small teaser for what's to come, as Yuno would, by the end of the story, truly come to embody the Yandere Queen. It will just take a little longer for her to get there, since I had used the Yuno from the first world, who at the beginning had been pretty 'normal' in most aspects. So I had to slowly change her personality in order to bring her to the true Yandere that she is supposed to be.**

 **Ye Red: Oh, but on the contrary. That single word that you have used to describe this story could have easily equaled to a thousand other words that would have not been written with the same intention behind them. A single heartfelt word can equal or even exceed a thousand hollow ones.**

 **As for whether your review had been helpful or not, it had definitely been. Any kind of feedback from my readers is welcomed and helpful in its own way. And for that, I must thank you.**

 **JensenDaniels32: Well, I had never intended for that chapter to be 'exciting' from those particular points of view. As you might have noticed until now, this story is heavily focused on the character development between Naruto and Yuno, because that is the final aim of it. To show how the two of them had met and how their feelings for each other had blossomed. Still, that does not mean that there will not be any 'action' in it. This chapter itself did contain some action, however, from now on things will pick up a little more, because in a few chapters, something big will come. Something that will definitely be action packed.**

 **Also, the revelations will come very soon (in two chapters), and the matter with the cops is a bit redundant, given how they won't have any leads to follow. It would be quite wasteful to simply write something involving the cops, when in the end it would not amount to anything beyond adding to the word count of the story. Believe me, someone such as Hagoromo/Naruto will not allow any traces that could lead to him due to the simple fact that he does not want to be bothered by any unneeded attention from humans. He has other priorities, and humans are currently insignificant to him. However, his view had slightly begun to change toward the end of this chapter, and will further change in the next one.**

 **TheDude: I don't quite remember. Perhaps it was something which I had inferred based on what had been said about her at some point during canon. Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the chapter.**

 **mark: Well, here it was. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Guest: I'm glad that you like the story.**

 **This Illusion: Well, that's some dedication, which I admire. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.**

 **Cosmos S. Chaos: First of all, I would like to thank you for your kind words. I am glad to know that you have enjoyed this story to such an extent, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy it in the future as well.**

 **Now about whether Naruto and Mirai Nikki would have worked or not, I think that it all depends on the chosen approach and the overall intention behind the story. I think that you will definitely understand what I'm trying to say (If you did not already understand) in around two chapters, since by then, everything will fall into place. And by that I am not referring to the story coming to an end, because it will continue for at least 4-5 more chapters.**

 **Also, after this story is over, I've actually got an idea for a sequel, since I've always wanted to screw around with the cast of the DxD verse. Just imagine the potential fun of that.**

 **As for the last part, let me say this. The only way that I will ever stop writing this story before I finish it, is if I somehow die. I hope that made things clear^^.**

 **And that's all folks! Once again I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to PM, as I greatly enjoy discussing with my readers.**

 **See you all in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

######

 **Chapter 5: Glass Ceiling**

 **Later that day...**

The faint glow of an impending dusk was bathing Naruto in its burnt orange hue as he stood unmoving on the sidewalk in front of a very familiar Japanese styled house.

It had been almost fifteen minutes since he had brought Yuno to her house, yet he had not moved an inch ever since he had lost sight of her as the metal door leading to her garden had closed in her wake.

His attention might have been solely focused on his beautiful flower during the time that he had spent walking her home, however, as soon as he no longer found himself in her presence, thoughts which had been born within his mind ever since the events that had taken place in the park made themselves known to him.

That had been the reason for why he had been standing rooted in place for the past fifteen minutes, with no clear indication of whether he would move or not anytime soon.

He had been carefully analyzing his actions during the most recent events, but in spite of his meticulous contemplation, he had yet to come to a definite conclusion.

The only thing that he had so far was a simple question.

Why had he displayed cruelty toward those humans when he should have just been apathetic instead?

After all, he was clearly aware of the fact that he had long ago acknowledged his apathy toward humanity.

So, then...

Why had he acted with any emotion toward those girls? Why had he shown malicious intent toward humans, when he should have simply not cared about them?

Such were the questions whose answers still eluded him. Questions that in order to obtain the answer for, he would have to think more deeply on the matter.

He would have to immerse himself into his contemplation, in an introspective manner similar to what he had done when he had secluded himself in the Genesis dimension for a whole week.

However, he knew that such a drastic measure was not needed in this case, for he was certain that a simple distancing from his current position and toward a more tranquil place should suffice.

A brief glance around himself told the young man that for the time being he was the sole occupant of the small street, so he wasted no time and instantly hovered into the sky, vanishing from his previous spot in a barely distinguishable blur.

######

 **Meanwhile...**

A soft sigh escaped Yuno's lips as she gazed at the wooden ceiling of her bedroom.

She had been lying in her bed for the past dozen or so minutes while her thoughts wandered back to the events which had taken place not even an hour ago.

She could vividly recall the words that her beloved Naruto had spoken to her, the words which had brought her such immense joy, that at that time she had thought to be dreaming for a brief moment.

He had told her that she belonged to him. That he would never leave her. And then he had cradled her in his strong arms, bringing her close to the warmth of his chest as he swept her off her feet.

All of that was still so incredibly fresh in her mind, that whenever she closed her eyes, she could see his pale eyes peering deep into her own with a sheer intensity that sent pleasant shivers down her back, before she would hear him speak those fateful words to her over and over again.

Letting out another dreamy sigh, Yuno closed her eyes and focused back on the wonderful memory as she basked in the incredible sensations that it instilled in her being.

She could slowly feel herself being overcome by an intense warmth as his words echoed in her mind, overwhelming her with a feeling of love so intense that it slowly burned her body with a pleasurable heat.

She quickly grabbed one of the pillows on her bed, bringing her lithe arms around it and squeezing it tightly to her chest, before her face also found its way within the pillow's softness as she began to roll around in her bed.

It took her a few good minutes until she eventually came down from her emotional high, and by the time she did, she could feel the accumulated tiredness of the day slowly catch up to her.

Still, it was rather early for her to go to sleep and her exhaustion had yet to actually leave its mark on her, so she decided to spend some more time thinking about her beloved Naruto before sleep finally claimed her.

However, now that her previously intense emotions had also calmed down significantly, she could actually view the events of the day from a more clear perspective which allowed her to easily remember some things that would have otherwise escaped her notice.

From the very beginning she had realized that her Naruto was very different from anyone else she had met up until that point, but she had not paid too much mind to the mysteriousness he seemed to be surrounded with, since at that time she had thought it to be simply another aspect of his, albeit a rather strange one.

But with her spending more and more time with him, she had slowly come to notice more of these small details, which when taken individually would have been slightly odd but not that unusual, yet if actually put together would quickly hint toward something else, a much more mysterious nature than what she had initially perceived to be the case.

His speech regarding the notion of killing intent and the fact that he had been able to kill someone with it had proved to be a huge tipping factor which had prompted her to start looking for more of those little details, and as soon as she had actively sought for them, she was easily able to come up with a significant few.

The first one to come to her mind was his incredibly refined behavior, one which when coupled with the allusions that he often made to royalty as well as with the way he sometimes spoke, made her believe quite firmly that he was of at least noble descent, if not of an actual royal one.

It might have sounded rather far fetched, but that was what she had managed to come up with by making use of the information that she possessed.

Another thing that she found to be odd was the fact that most of the times when he spoke, he referred to himself with the pronoun _'washi'_ , which was more than odd for someone of his age to be using. Not to mention that she had also heard him use the pronoun _'ware'_ quite often as well.

Then there was the matter of her injury from before vanishing as if it had healed at an almost absurd rate.

She had checked herself in the mirror earlier to see what had happened and she almost couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the perfectly healthy skin of her abdomen.

She had absolutely no idea how something like this was possible.

Sure, she'd heard about some more esoteric means of treatment such as energy therapy and other similar things, however, most of those were either weird voodoo practices or outright scams.

His name was also something that she had found to be incredibly unusual, since she had never heard anywhere before of the name Ōtsutsuki, except for maybe once, during one of her history lessons when their teacher had shown them an obscure passage from the second volume of the Kojiki which contained information on the genealogies of the eleventh emperor of Japan.

She vaguely remembered the name of Ōtsutsukitarine no Miko being mentioned in that book, and that gave her more basis to her initial theory, although, she still lacked information for it to be anything more than an assumption or a guess.

But that didn't change the fact that her Naruto was definitely much more than he seemed to be letting on, and that with every passing moment she was becoming increasingly more curious about this mystery that seemed to be shrouding him.

######

 **Back with Naruto...**

The gentle and tranquil atmosphere of the sky had indeed proved itself to be the perfect place for him to deepen his musings as he randomly drifted away, only several feet below the thick blanket of clouds that was his sole companion.

His thoughts had slowly grown more profound as his mind tried to figure the answer to what had been plaguing it for the half of the past hour.

More minutes passed by as Naruto continued his deep musing on the subject, when out of a sudden, the answer made itself known to him in something akin to an epiphany.

All of this time he had been trying to force himself to actually feel something for the humans, and that had been the reason for why he had acted with such cruelty and malicious intent toward those girls.

But that was not all, since he had also realized just how wrong it felt for him that he was still trying to force himself to _care_ about the humans, regardless of how he had been doing it, since it was obvious that this time around he had chosen the opposite part of the emotional spectrum.

However, now that he finally became aware of this, he also understood just how pointless it truly was for him to act in such a manner, because deep down he had already stopped feeling anything for them ever since he had permanently discarded his naivety and foolishness back there in Indonesia.

So he would stop trying to force himself to feel anything for them, for it would simply be useless to continue doing as such, since he had long ago accepted the finality of his decision when he had stopped caring altogether about humanity.

The conclusion to his deep and rather lengthy introspection was accompanied by a sudden feeling of liberation, not unlike the one that he had felt in the aftermath of his wrath from two weeks ago.

Yet, as opposed to that time, right now, this freedom that he was currently experiencing also had a distinct air of finality to it. This time he definitely knew that he had cast away any and all of the remnants that might have still possibly tied him to his foolish and naïve past ideals.

A brief inspection of his surroundings immediately told Naruto that he must have crossed quite the distance ever since the beginning of his little journey, as the dusk which had been about to settle upon Japan at the time of his departure was now replaced by what seemed to be the closing of midday.

Deciding that he might as well see where he had ended up during his aimless flight, the young man momentarily ended his advance through the sky and hovered in place as he glanced down at the relatively huge mass of land beneath his feet.

His pale eyes quickly morphed into the all-seeing dōjutsu and with the peerless sight granted by it he began to observe in detail the landmass below.

The association of various mountains, hills and plains, coupled with several specific sceneries of which he had become aware after his extensive accumulation of knowledge courtesy of his clones, easily brought him geographical recognition as he identified himself to be currently floating several miles above the country of Yemen.

Still, such details easily paled in relevance to the other things his fabled eyes had come to witness as they were sweeping over said mass of land.

A rather strong feeling of déjà-vu filled his senses as the young man observed with slight interest how in quite the few locations over that country its natives seemed to be massacring each other for reasons which were currently unknown to him.

With his previous realizations still very fresh in his mind, Naruto knew that it was mere whimsical curiosity that kept him watching those people killing each other only a few kilometers below his feet, so he decided to study them a little longer, since he did not have anything else to do anyway.

His lovely Yuno was most likely sleeping at this hour given the timeline differences, and he truly had nothing else better to do other than waiting for her to wake up.

However, to his sudden surprise, as he continued to observe the events transpiring in that country, the young man began to feel something rather odd. Something which if he had to put into words, then he would liken it to a cold warmth, one that was completely different from the comforting warmth which he felt whenever he was with his darling.

He idly wondered what this feeling could be, and after several moments of contemplation, he reached the conclusion that this had not been the first time when he had felt as such.

There had been other instances which had evoked this particular feeling within his being, and all of them had been part of the events which had taken place in that park the day before.

At that time he had felt the same very feeling, however, he had not been capable of categorizing it due to his attention being almost completely focused on Yuno.

But now that he had enough time to properly label it, he would take his time to thoroughly study it.

Briefly looking away from the mass of land beneath him, Naruto quickly noticed that the cold warmth which had been suffusing him had also disappeared, yet as soon as he returned his sight back to that country and its humans, he experienced the same feeling blossom once more.

And with the return of that cold warmth, something else was also brought along.

A particular memory. One about words of wisdom spoken by his darling.

He perfectly remembered the memory that Alduin had given him a little over a week ago. The memory which involved a magnificent speech on Yuno's part.

A speech about how a desensitized being, one devoid of passion, would seek, nay, crave amusement.

Which was why he could not stop the chuckle that had been threatening to escape his lips the entire time.

He was faced with mirth that was born from the incredible fact that a teenage girl had unlocked the mental plagues of his life.

How could he not laugh in the face of such realization?

So laugh he did, and his amused chuckles slowly grew in intensity, until they turned into a full blown laughter that lasted for several good minutes.

By the time he was done laughing, Naruto was more than sure that he would not be able to find a word to properly describe just how marvelous and unique his Yuno was. Not that he had to do such anyway, since he was certain that describing her with any word other than perfection would be an unforgivable sin.

But besides that, there was one more thing of which he was now certain. And that was the fact that humans were actually humorous, and more so, that he had been actually having fun watching them so far.

Still, this now begged another question.

Was there anything that he could possibly do to amuse himself even further? To make the scene below his feet even more humorous for him?

He took a few moments to ponder on that.

From what he had observed thus far, those humans seemed to be rather lacking in their performance, which in turn affected the quality of the entertainment. So, in order to rectify that, he would have to strike at the root of the problem. He would have to do something that would liven them up a bit.

However, for him to do that in a manner which best suited the current situation, he would have to first acquire some more knowledge on the subject of those massacres taking place at the ground level. Such as the reason for why they were happening.

He might have acquired an extensive knowledge of this world during the past week, however, there were some things which he had deemed unimportant to know about, since they were nothing more than trivialities. And if they actually happened to suddenly become interesting, such as in the current scenario, then he could easily inform himself.

Which was exactly his intention in this case. After all, it would be laughably easy to do so, given how all that he had to do would be to simply find someone relevant enough to the topic he needed to become aware of and either read their mind or use his dōjutsu to read their lips if they happened to be speaking.

A few moments later and his all-seeing eyes caught sight of someone about whom it could be said that they were _clothed_ in relevance.

The person in cause appeared to be a middle aged man wearing a white colored head scarf and a white robe as he stood seated upon the ground in reverence, zealously praying for the victory of one side of the people who were engaged in the conflict taking place a mile or so from his position.

Surrounding that man were a dozen or so of other similarly clothed people of both genders who appeared to also be praying alongside him.

Deciding that he had obtained enough information for him to be capable of properly choosing the most suitable option for deriving his entertainment, Naruto gave another brief contemplation on the subject at hand as he sought for a method which would fit best with his previous observations.

The answer that he came up with almost made him grin in anticipation.

It was a good thing that he had also sent a clone to read about topics involving religion, because, as he had just noted, such things seemed to be a great source of amusement. Especially when irony was also being invoked.

So, without wasting another moment, he outstretched his arm and slowly clenched his hand around the pitch black substance that began to materialize in the form of an orb next to it, prompting it to instantly change shape and turn into an ebon shakujō.

Then, he slowly raised his staff toward the sky and with a theatrical flourish of the hand he brought it down in a sweeping arc which sent thunder, hail and fire crashing down to the earth.

A moment later he stretched out his shakujō once more and repeated his previous action as he sent another wave of destruction toward the land beneath his feet. And for the following ten minutes or so, he continued to do just that, raining thunder and hail, in the midst of which was fire, all of them converging down upon the country of Yemen.

By the time he was done raining destruction upon the earth below him, Naruto decided to add the finishing touch, so he pointed his ebon shakujō toward the land and with an effortless flexing of his power, he made it as such that each and every one of the rivers that ran through there would be changed from water into blood.

As soon as he was finished with the last of the preparations, he dismissed his staff and proceeded to admire the fruits of his labor.

An amused smile slowly found its way on his ethereal visage when he noticed the varying expressions of terror and panic which most of the people seemed to have developed in the wake of the grand show that he had put for himself.

They had indeed livened up quite a lot, that was certain.

Good thing that he had possessed the foresight to aim more at the landscape rather than at the people themselves, because having them die as a result and missing their expressions of pure dread would have definitely been a waste.

Although, he doubted that just some flaming hail would have been capable of any significant casualties at all. Such a means was more intended toward damaging stationary targets rather than targets which could dodge them.

Still... terminal velocity could often be quite the tricky enemy for the average human, so...

But regardless of that, he could say with certainty that his actions had made the scene below much more amusing and entertaining than how it had been when he had first taken notice of it.

And yet, nothing of that would have actually been possible had there not been any humans to fill in the role of actors on his stage, since, in the end, that was exactly what the essence of his recent realizations had been. That the humans were truly humorous and that if watching them had been so fun, then having actually played with them had truly been incredible.

Even more so when the chess master and puppet master would take good care of his toys, so that they might continue to entertain him for more than just once during a show.

But that, of course, if they were satisfactory enough in quality, for otherwise they would be of no use to him. After all, what meaning would there be to a toy incapable of entertaining its owner?

A chuckle escaped Naruto's lips at that thought, before it quickly evolved into laughter when a particular thought entered his mind.

Had this been what his mother had felt while she had been at the top of the world?

Probably not, as she had definitely seemed to have been much more concerned with her obsession for chakra and turning countless people into White Zetsu for whatever purposes that only she might have known.

But even so, he was certain that during the time when she had been worshipped as the Rabbit Goddess, she must have felt at least similar to how he was feeling right now.

However, it was truly not befitting of him to question any of his mother's reasonings to such an extent, for if there was one thing that he considered absolute when it came to her, then that thing was the sheer respect that he had for her.

He might have been forced to fight and subsequently seal her, however, he had not even once stopped from considering her to be his loving mother, nor had he ever lost even an ounce of the unfathomable amount of respect that he held for her.

Bringing his musings to an end, Naruto decided that it was almost time for him to return back to Japan, since he would have to be there for when his darling woke up from her sleep.

So, with one last appreciative look toward his handiwork, he let out another amused laugh as he willed open a tear in the fabric of space-time.

A moment later, he stepped inside the darkness of the portal and dismissed the electromagnetic field he had been using to conceal himself from those pesky satellites, all the while musing about a particular topic, which he was sure to keep in mind and refer to extensively in the future, since it had proved to be a wonderful source of amusement.

Who knew that religion could be so entertaining?

######

 **Several minutes earlier [Cathedral of Causality]**

A frustrated groan cut through the relatively silent atmosphere of the purple tinted cathedral.

"Dammit!" Murmur voiced out in exasperation. "Just where is that _thing_ hiding?!"

Normally, she wouldn't have been in such an irritable mood, however, after spending almost a week looking for what could be best described as a needle in the hay sack, she wasn't feeling exactly thrilled.

Plus, the fact that she had also not read even one manga during all of that time wasn't helping her situation. She feared that if she continued without her precious manga for much longer, then she might very soon start exhibiting withdrawal symptoms.

Another groan escaped the tanned girl's mouth as she continued to look on a holographic monitor that displayed a live map of Sakurami City with countless of red dots flashing at random points over its surface.

Those were the causalities that she had yet to check...

A streak of purple lightning hitting the spot right next to her instantly brought Murmur out of her sullen thoughts as she quickly jolted up from her seated position.

Not even a moment later, and a dozen more purple bolts began arcing throughout the room, prompting the miniature girl to run around erratically as she attempted to dodge the incoming lightning.

"Boss, can you please stop acting like nothing is happening and _do_ something?!" she yelled at the towering figure in the middle of the cathedral, before she had to duck another stray bolt of electricity.

However, all that she received was a deep, amused chuckle.

"Deus, this isn't funny!" the tanned girl shot back almost immediately.

"Oh, but I assure you it is, Murmur" the God of Time and Space spoke from his ivory, jagged throne, before he pointed at one of the holographic panels floating in front of him, prompting it to triple in size. "Here, look at this."

Murmur was about to offer another one of her indignant retorts, but her words failed to leave her mouth when she noticed the events playing on the floating screen enlarged by her superior.

A myriad of bolts of lightning. Countless shards of flaming hail. Streaks of fire illuminating the sky.

All of those raining upon what appeared to be the country of Yemen, sending all of its populace in a crazed frenzy as they either attempted to flee from the destruction, cowered in terror, or prayed to whatever god they believed in to spare them from whomever's wrath had befallen them.

It was quite the frightening sight, if she were to be honest.

However, she knew that there was no time to muse about it, since it was beyond obvious as to what the cause to all of that had been.

It was definitely the work of that infuriating _thing_ , if the similarities to the spectacle that it had put up two weeks prior in Indonesia were anything to go by.

Still, she should actually be grateful to its meddling this time around, because due to the fact that it was constantly affecting the causalities and changing them at such a rapid pace, there were high chances for her to be able to at least locate it.

As such, she wasted no more time and began inspecting the causalities in an attempt to determine the position of this unknown entity that was messing around in their world.

And to her incredibly pleasant surprise, after a few minutes of tinkering with the causalities, she managed to locate the place from were all of the changes seemed to be originating.

A split second later, and a holographic screen popped into existence in front of her, showing her with clarity and detail a live image of the perpetrator who had been taking away all of her manga time so far.

She took some moments to properly inspect the image, before she realized that the unknown entity who had given her so many headaches thus far actually looked like it had come from one of her shōjo manga.

Still, she knew that appearances could be deceiving, and in this case, they would be _very_ deceiving.

After all, she had just seen with her own two eyes how that young man with flowing white hair had been spending the past few minutes throwing around destruction to a country from several kilometers in the sky.

She briefly wondered what she should do now that she had managed to get a glimpse of this mysterious entity. Probably not much, if anything at all, since it was more than clear that whomever this young man was, he obviously outclassed both her and Deus, if his feats shown so far would be of any indication.

Actually, she wasn't sure why she had even been so stubborn about finding more about it in the first place. She should have just kept to her manga when she had seen Deus acting so uncaring about the whole business.

Her musings were interrupted when she heard another deep chuckle cut through the silence of the cathedral.

She quickly threw a sidelong glance at her boss and felt the urge to sigh at what she saw. He was having fun while watching the people of Yemen react to the admittedly supernatural phenomena that were being caused by that young man.

"Oh, that is so ingenious!" she heard him suddenly exclaim. "Look, Murmur, our mysterious guest had just turned all of the water from the rivers in Yemen into blood. Is this not incredibly amusing?"

The tanned girl looked away from her superior as he had once more began chuckling at the holographic screen before his throne, and instead opted to look once more at her own video feed from the skies of Yemen.

Something which she quickly came to regret when she saw the young man laugh in a not too unlike manner than her boss.

And seeing that, she immediately dismissed the floating monitor and stared blankly at the wall in front of her as she was faced with a rather disheartening realization.

She should have just ignored all of this crap ever since day one and simply remained with her shōjo manga.

Letting out a weary sigh, the diminutive girl went to a corner of the cathedral where a pile of her manga could be seen, all the while lamenting about how she had wasted the better part of her last week chasing around an unknown entity that had turned out to be an almost splitting image of her boss, headaches and weird humor included.

In hindsight, she should have known that nothing sane could have come out of something which her boss had deemed to be incredibly interesting and highly entertaining.

But hey, one must learn from their mistakes, right? And fortunately for her, she had all of the time in the world to do as such.

That of course if the world didn't end before Deus chose a successor to his throne...

######

 **2005/05/23 18:45 [Sakurami City]**

Naruto and Yuno were walking along one of the many streets of the bustling city, their hands linked as they basked in the warmth of each other, content with just being one in the presence of the other.

Neither of them seemed to care about the occasional stares that they were receiving from the passersby, the former because he simply did not care about such trivialities, and the latter because she was too focused on her beloved's presence to care about anything else, but also due to the fact that she seemed to be somewhat lost in her thoughts.

Which was true, since even during her time at school, she had been quite distracted as she had found herself constantly returning to the musings that she had begun on the previous night.

So far she had contemplated about the various things that she had noticed to be related to her beloved's mysterious nature, but with how little information she actually possessed, she hadn't made too much progress and her curiosity was slowly overwhelming her.

In the end, she realized that if she truly wanted to sate her curiosity, then she would have to ask him directly instead of fantasizing about various theories with barely any knowledge on her part.

Slightly turning her head to gaze at her beloved's enchanting visage, Yuno finally decided to ask him something about himself.

"Um... Naruto" she began, feeling the beginning of a blush spread over her cheeks when Naruto's pale eyes met her own cerise ones. "If it's not too much, I would really like to know more about you, so... uh... could you please tell me something about yourself?"

She felt her cheeks heat up even more when she saw him send her one of his charming smiles.

She idly wondered if she would ever be able to face that smile of his without having her cheeks redden, but she didn't get to dwell too much on that thought, as she heard him speak a few moments afterwards.

"Of course, Yuno. It would be my pleasure to tell you something about my past."

She offered a cute smile of her own to his response, before she listened to him as he began speaking.

"Alright, my dear" she heard him begin. "I shall tell you something about my mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."

As soon as she heard him utter that name, a thought quickly sprung into her mind as she immediately remembered of an instance when this particular name had been mentioned in the same obscure passage which had been shown to her by the history teacher during a class.

However, she had to file away that train of thought, as Naruto quickly continued with his speech.

"You see, my mother had been an idealist. She had wanted to change the constant feuding that plagued the lands, and eventually, she had obtained a leadership position through her charisma and goodwill. The feuds stopped, and there was peace. That was when she gave birth to me and my brother, Hamura, who had sadly died a while ago."

When she registered the last part, as well as the way Naruto's voice had taken on a saddened note when he spoke, she was about to say something to comfort him, however, she was interrupted by his words.

"Do not worry about that, my dear" she heard him speak in a gentle tone. "My brother had lived a fulfilled life and had died with no regrets. I shall always keep his memory living through me, but I would never dare tarnish it by continuing to wallow myself in sadness at his death."

She visibly calmed down when she heard him say that and decided not to say anything and let him continue with his story.

"So, as I was saying, after settling down, my mother has had two children, me and my brother. She had raised us with great love and care, teaching us the intricacies of the world and the history of our people as we grew up."

Yuno noticed the tone that her beloved used when he spoke about his mother and that brought back her the memory of her own parents, two rotting corpses in a cage.

She might have not cared about her parents anymore, but now that the saw how much Naruto seemed to care for his family, she felt herself grow afraid at the idea of him ever finding out about what she had done to her parents.

She might be certain that he wouldn't leave her even if he did learn of that, however, she didn't want him to ever think any less of her, or even worse, to look at her in disgust for what she had done to her own family.

She was quickly brought out of her musings when she heard him speak once more.

"I loved my mother dearly and respected her greatly. Both me and my brother had agreed long ago that she had been a wonderful and loving mother."

By now, Yuno was certain that she really didn't want for Naruto to ever find out about her dead parents.

"And because of that, it was incredibly painful for me and my brother when we had to watch as our mother changed before our very eyes... so much that, in the end, we were forced to isolate her. Imprison her."

Naruto's words momentarily struck the rose haired girl speechless as she wondered what could have led to such a thing. Fortunately, she quickly got her answer when she heard him continue.

"Despite the initial peace, my mother eventually grew disillusioned at how no matter what she attempted, the clans would subtly continue with their conflicts in the shadows. That was when she ceased to be her kind and gentle self. She came to believe that only despotism could lead to peace, so she became a tyrant... And yet, in spite of all of that, I had never stopped seeing her as my dear mother, nor had I lost any of my respect for her."

When she realized that he wouldn't be saying anything else, Yuno took a few moments to contemplate on the story that her beloved had just told her.

It was a very sad one, tragic even, and it made her want to hug him and remind him that she would always be there for him.

Actually, she would do just that, because she loved him so much that she couldn't bear the thought of him ever being sad.

He might have not shown it on his face, but she knew that it had pained him when he had spoken about how he and his brother had had to imprison their mother, because she had become a danger for everyone around her.

So, she let no other second to pass and quickly embraced him in a loving hug, which she was certain that it would let him know just how much she cared about him and how she didn't want him to be sad anymore.

After a few moments of tightly hugging him, she glanced up at his face and was relieved to see a small smile gracing his lips.

"Thank you, Yuno" she heard him utter softly. "And don't worry about me being too saddened about having to reminisce this. It had happened quite the long time ago, and I had come to be at peace with it."

She noticed him pause as a thoughtful look crossed his features.

"Besides, I had managed to see her once more before she had passed away" she heard him add in the same soft voice. "I was able to speak to her one last time, and that had been enough for me to finally be completely at peace with everything that had happened."

Yuno continued to admire her beloved's content smile for a few more moments, before she finally spoke as she briefly tightened her loving embrace once more.

"I'm glad..."

Following that, she let go of him and resumed her walking alongside him, slipping once again into her musings as she thought about the things that she had just learned about her Naruto.

However, she didn't get to dwell too much on any of her thoughts, because not even a minute later, she heard him say something which completely took her by surprise.

######

"Say, Yuno, have you told your parents about our relationship yet?" Naruto asked in a slightly curious tone as he glanced at the rose haired girl walking next to him. "And if so, then what had they said of it?"

It was a seemingly innocent question, however, for him it served a rather important purpose.

He had resolved to unravel the circumstances regarding his darling's alternate persona, yet he would never dare infringe upon her privacy as he respected her too greatly for doing such a thing.

However, what he could do was simply try to learn more about her, things that could definitely allow him to understand better what had led to the creation of her repressed self.

And since she had shown him to be of a similar mind on this matter, he had not hesitated to ask her his own question. After all, even without this reason prompting him to seek to learn about her, he still did not know too much about his lovely flower, so he would have desired to get to know her better regardless of that.

Only a few moments had passed since he had spoken his question, and as he gazed at her surprised face, awaiting her response, he could clearly see the storm of emotions in her eyes, despite the great effort that she seemed to be putting into hiding it.

That was enough to solidify his previous assumption that the subject of her parents must have definitely been a very sensitive one to her, but on the other hand, it told him next to nothing about what he had been wondering thus far.

In the end, it seemed that he would have to inquire for one last thing, and depending on the response that she gave him, he should be able to decide on what further approach to adopt.

He would not pry, but he would neither stand idle and watch when he could instead act for the sake of her wellbeing.

Not to mention that sooner or later, she would still have to confront whatever it was that ailed her so much. She would have to do that in order to achieve balance and harmony with herself.

After all, those were the prerequisites for her to finalize her blossoming.

So, with that thought in mind, Naruto asked his beloved one last thing.

######

"Yuno... Did anything happen between you and your parents?"

The moment she heard those words, she felt a pit form in her stomach. She quickly tried to hide the shock present on her face, as well as the multitude of emotions that threatened to bubble at his mention of her parents.

What could she say? What answer could she give to his question? Could she actually tell him what she had done to her parents?

She glanced at his face and she felt her previous fears grow tenfold. She didn't think that she could ever bear to see those eyes look at her even with the slightest hint of disgust.

Yet, what could she do? She couldn't possibly lie to him. Even the thought of her lying to him brought an almost overwhelming feeling of guilt over her.

So, then, what could she do?

She had to do something. She had to make her mind and say something already, because otherwise, she was sure that he would realize that something was wrong. That something was bothering her. And then, if he asked her even further, she wouldn't be able to deny it.

Yuno's troubled mind was brought out of its musings when she heard Naruto address her once again.

"You do not have to reply to that if you do not wish to, Yuno" she heard his gentle voice and felt his hand tenderly squeeze her own. "I am never going to demand any answer from you, my dear. I respect you too much to even think of ever doing such a thing."

However, all that his words did was only make her feel even worse.

The guilt that flooded her when she heard him say that made her realize that she had almost betrayed his feelings. And that made her feel disgusted at the hesitation that she had displayed so far.

How could she be so hesitating when she had seen how forthcoming he had been with telling her about his past? Yet, the very things that he had told her had been the catalyst to her indecision.

After all, she had felt from his voice and seen on his face just how much he had loved and respected his mother. And how sad he had sounded when he had told her about how he had had to imprison his own mother.

Those were the things which had brought such fear into her, because she dreaded the reaction that he would have if he ever learned of what she had done to her own parents.

However, despite all of that, she knew that she couldn't even think about betraying his feelings by doubting him ever again. Not after what he had declared to her the day before.

That was why she knew she couldn't stay silent. She had to tell him something. The truth, because she couldn't even dare to think about lying to him.

Yet, the fear that she currently felt was still too profound for her to tell him everything.

"My parents..." she began in a barely audible voice as she cast down her gaze. "For the past few years they neglected me... My mother used to abuse me on a regular basis and my father was rarely home to do anything about it... But they had stopped recently, so... now I'm fine."

In the end, she had decided to tell him most of what had happened, and to leave aside the part where she had starved her parents to death, even if it made her feel guilty for withholding part of the truth from him.

Yuno looked up from the pavement and briefly glanced at Naruto's face, only to be almost struck speechless by the intensity that she had seen being reflected in his pale eyes for a few moments.

It brought her immense joy to know that he would react with such outrage at the treatment that she had been given by her parents, yet, for all of that happiness, it did nothing to lessen the guilt that she was feeling.

However, when she felt his arms wrap around her form and bring her close to his chest, she was sure that she would forget about it for at least a short while.

She stood in his gentle embrace for the next minute, basking in the warmth that he radiated as all of her worries were momentarily shoved away from the front of her mind and replaced with bliss.

She didn't say anything, and nor did she need to hear him say to her anything either, because his hug so far had told her all that she might have needed to know. The feelings that he conveyed to her through his simple hug had been more meaningful than a thousand words could have ever been.

When she eventually felt his arms loosen their grip around her, she glanced once more at his face and noted that his previous anger was replaced by a gentle smile. She offered him a smile of her own, before she leaned back from his hug.

She gave a brief look to her surroundings, realizing that she had reached the destination of their walk, so she glanced back at him and finally broke the silent atmosphere that had settled upon them for the past few minutes.

"I guess that I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Naruto..." she voiced out in a rather disappointed tone.

"Of course, my dear" she heard him reply almost immediately, to which she felt her previous smile return.

She gazed at his still smiling face for a few more moments, before she eventually turned around and headed toward her house.

######

Naruto looked at the retreating form of his darling as she walked toward the metal door leading to her front yard.

Her reaction to his last question had clearly told him that the subject of her parents held quite the gravity, something which had been solidified through the words that she had followed with.

The fury that her revelation had brought him had been like no other in a long time.

He had not felt such intense anger even when he had seen how the people of his world had perverted his teachings of ninshū.

But he had quickly understood that his reaction had been actually normal given the degree of feelings that he had come to harbor for the lovely flower who had ensnared his heart in less than two weeks.

A chuckle escaped his mouth at that thought. She was truly a special one, that he was certain of.

Noting that by the time it took him to finish his brief musing, his darling had already disappeared behind the walls of her house, Naruto turned around and began walking as he admired the crepuscular charm of the fading evening.

A few moments later, he glanced at the ebony glove covering his left hand and spoke.

"Alduin, I have a task for you."

He was immediately met with twin sickly yellow eyes and a grinning mouth filled with jagged teeth, which quickly appeared on the back of his hand in response to his previous words.

"Of course, father" Alduin replied without any delay. "Anything you wish."

The white haired young man took a moment to synchronize with one of the clones that he had stationed in the city's library, before he spoke once more.

"I would like for you to infiltrate the Gasai Bank and investigate its owners" he spoke in a calm tone as he returned his focus back from that clone. "Learn everything that you can about them and then return to me with your findings."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the glove briefly shift, before it quickly liquefied into a black ooze that pooled onto the concrete below.

"Understood, father" he heard Alduin reply as it began to sink into the ground, until it completely disappeared from his sight.

Following his creation's departure, Naruto returned to his musings while he continued his slow paced walk along the street.

He had clearly seen on his beloved's face how she had kept a part of the story about her parents to herself and he had understood her reasons for that. There must have been something even more grave involved than what she had actually told him.

He might have not said anything about it, for he would have not dared pry, however, the simple fact that he had seen the gravity of the matter troubling her, had made him take the previous decision of thoroughly investigating her parents.

After all, there was nothing to respect about the privacy of those two insects, so he could easily get more information on the subject from their side.

######

 **2005/05/23 19:15 [Gasai Residence]**

Yuno stepped into the private confines of her room and immediately closed the wooden door behind her.

She stood still for a few moments, before she suddenly felt all of the strength in her legs leave her as she leaned with her back against the door.

Only one thought was running through her mind as she stared with wide eyes at the ceiling of her bedroom.

She had lied to her Naruto. Her purpose of existence. She had lied to him...

She felt herself crumble at that thought, her legs giving out completely under the weight of her sin.

She slowly slid down the door, until she felt the coldness of the floor touch her, moment when she curled up into herself.

There was no use denying it and she knew it. Her treacherous mind was all too forthcoming with providing her that information.

' _I lied to Naruto... I lied to him, didn't I?'_ she thought, overwhelmed with guilt. _'Half truths... are still lies... I lied to Naruto, how could I... He looked at me so acceptingly, felt my rage at the injustice I had suffered...'_

She brought her arms around her knees and hugged them closer to her chest.

' _I didn't mean for them to die... I didn't... How was I supposed to know that mama and papa would be so weak after a few days! Mama sometimes left me without food for over a week, didn't she? I survived... were they weak?'_

Her eyes widened in realization.

' _Yes... It was all their fault... They shouldn't have died! If they hadn't been so weak... Then... then... there would have been no possibility for any hint of disgust to ever appear on lovely—oh so accepting and beautiful—Naruto's face."_

Yuno closed her eyes and slowly exhaled a sharp breath. She moved her head from its resting position on the floor, her eyes still closed, before she suddenly opened them and stared blankly at the room in front of her.

' _Naruto said I belong to him. Naruto said I belong to him. Naruto said I belong to him'_ she continuously repeated in her mind, feeling the words rapidly empower her.

She stopped hugging herself and began to slowly rise up, a charming smile adorning her beautiful face.

Feeling much better than a few minutes before, she stopped reassuring herself and allowed her thoughts to wander once more back to the story that Naruto had shared with her.

She replayed it obsessively in seemingly perfect detail as her mind slowly analyzed everything that she had learned about her beloved.

"So... I was right!" she suddenly exclaimed, before she threw herself on her bed and hugged one of her pillows. "My Naruto is truly a prince. High nobility at least!"

She rolled on her back and stared at her ceiling, her pillow still tightly clutched to her chest.

"Japan still has clans, doesn't it?" she spoke to herself. "And if the gossips are to be believed, then they don't like each other much... Perhaps... Naruto is a descendant of a branch family of the Imperial House of Yamato..."

For the next few minutes, Yuno contemplated on her theory, feeling herself become more and more calm at the thoughts of her Naruto.

Eventually, she felt the accumulated tiredness of the day begin to take its toll on her body, which quickly ended up with her falling asleep as she continued to think about her beloved in her dreams.

######

 **The next day...**

Naruto was resting with his back against the thick bark of a tree, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of the nature and the pleasant tingle of the verdant grass brushing against the skin of his hands as he gazed in contemplation at the distant horizon.

He could clearly understand why his mother considered the world as being her precious nursery. It was quite the beautiful sight to behold. The nature was a tranquil and exquisite thing, with endless specimens to observe, one more interesting than the other.

However, as opposed to her, who had developed a rather significant loathing for the humans, he could actually tolerate their existences.

To some extent, that was.

But even so, it was quite the considerable difference, for he did not turn every human that he saw into obedient minions as his mother had come to do during the later times before her eventual descent into madness.

So, in a way, he did not exactly see the world as his precious nursery, but more as his favorite sandbox. A very entertaining sandbox filled to the brim with various playthings ready to amuse him at a moment's notice.

Concluding his musings, the young man directed his attention away from the horizon and to his left, where he had noticed the figure of a middle aged woman with shoulder length brown hair slowly approach his position.

A brief glance told him that she was not unpleasant to the eyes, not that he actually cared about it, mind you. It was more of an idle thought or more accurately, a simple observation of his meticulous mind.

Her clothing appeared to be the kind of casual attire that one would frequently see on female accountants, with it actually consisting of a white button down shirt, a pair of black heels, black trousers and a matching jacket.

He idly wondered why Alduin had chosen a female as its host for this time, however, he quickly realized that it must have been simple whimsy on his creation's part.

Alduin was a genderless entity, more so when it did not even identify itself with a particular gender.

The sole reason for why it actually referred to itself as his _son_ was simply because it would have been rather odd for it to claim to be his daughter with such a deep, raspy and distinctively male voice. Although, he was certain that witnessing the humans' reactions to such a claim would have indeed made for quite the amusing sight.

His attention was once more brought upon the sight of Alduin's host when he noticed her start screaming in agony as countless black tendrils erupted from all over her body.

It was a good thing that he had decided to spend the afternoon inside the middle of a forest, for otherwise he might have had to chastise Alduin a bit for being way too enthusiastic with his choice for amusement.

Still, he reasoned to himself that it was quite alright for Alduin to act in such a manner, given how sparse the times when it would get to entertain itself had gotten these days.

In the end, it was only right that his _son_ also got to have its fun, no?

Several moments later, and the young man realized that he might have given his verdict a bit too early when he saw how the woman writhing in pain only a few feet away from him partially exploded in a shower of gore and blood.

"You are getting rather ingenious with how you discard those meat suits of yours after you are done using them" Naruto spoke in an amused tone, idly observing how the countless droplets of blood and the few flying chunks of meat and viscera pelted the invisible wall of force that he had erected in front of him.

The young man glanced at the newly revealed humanoid form of Alduin who stood in all of its grinning glory surrounded by the torn remains of the now dead woman, before he addressed it once more.

"Well then, Alduin, tell me what you have found about those two insects."

"Yes, father" the black tinted creature replied as it quickly discarded whatever of that woman's insides which might have still clung to its form, before it took a few steps until it reached the sitting form of its father.

Naruto dismissed the invisible barrier and watched as his creation turned back into an amorphous blob of pitch black ooze, before it started slithering up his left arm, where it assumed the form of an ebony glove once more.

Not even a moment later, and he felt information rapidly enter his mind as Alduin began to share all of its findings with him.

"Thank you, Alduin" Naruto spoke when he noticed that the information transfer had stopped. "You have done well."

The sound akin to a content purr coming from his glove prompted the young man to let out a chuckle, before he once again immersed himself in his thoughts as he mused over what he had just learned from Alduin.

Apparently, Yuno's parents had been gone on a vacation for the past two months or so, and the only information that their employees had managed to get about their whereabouts had been a phone call from their daughter, who had actually been the one to tell them why they had not gone to work.

Now this by itself was not anything worthy of suspicion, however, when coupled with what his beloved had told him the day before, he could definitely see a few discrepancies.

He clearly remembered how his darling had stated that her parents had stopped abusing her recently, which could be associated with their departure and extended vacation, however, the fact that she had still seemed to be so troubled about the matter even after months of their absence was what raised a few question marks in his mind.

However, with such little information there was nothing that he could conclude without it being pure speculation on his part, and that was something which he would never do, for he always assessed the matters thoroughly before even thinking about taking a decision.

So, that left him with only one option.

He would have to take the active role in this case, for otherwise he would be just wasting time. Not that he minded spending even more time with his beloved, yet he knew that the sooner he solved this problem, the sooner she would get her peace of mind.

But besides that, he was rather eager to finally see her finish her blossoming.

He had seen on multiple occasions how beautiful she could be, and that had quickly sapped away at his resistance. His patience might have known no bounds, but in the face of such beauty and splendor... even it would eventually crumble.

And that was why he wanted to get everything done as soon as possible.

Because he wanted to see her flourish. Because he wanted to see her whole. Because he wanted to finally have her by his side.

As his equal.

Yet, for that to happen, he knew that he would have to first get her to become one with her repressed self. Then, he could at long last reveal his origins to her, and only after that he could finally give her true power as well as a place alongside him for eternity.

So, with those things in mind, he instantly vanished from his spot, his destination being his beloved's house, where he would finally make both his and her wishes come true.

######

 **2005/05/24 16:15 [Gasai Residence]**

Naruto stood patiently in front of the steel door leading to Yuno's house as he waited for her to come and invite him inside.

A few more moments later he heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching, before he noticed the door open, revealing to him the sight of his darling standing behind the doorframe as she appeared to be still dressed in her school attire.

"Hey, Naruto!" he heard her greet him with a joyful smile. "Come in, come in."

He returned her smile and greeting as he took a few steps inside the house.

"Hello, my dear. I am glad to see you again."

He watched with his smile still in place as his darling's cheeks became adorned with a small blush at his words.

He briefly glanced around him, inspecting the interior of the house for the first time, before he looked back at Yuno.

"This is a lovely house" he spoke in appreciation. "The traditional style is always such a refreshing sight. It is truly a shame that more and more people discard it in favor of a more western one."

He heard her giggle as Yuno moved to close the door behind him, before he noticed her send him a knowing look as she walked past him.

He raised a nonexistent eyebrow in response, however, that only made her giggle again as she gave him a mysterious smile.

An idle thought entered his mind at that sight.

Who would have thought that she would get him to experience an air of mystery similar to what he had been employing with her on so many instances during the past two weeks?

Nevertheless, it made him chuckle inwardly as he quickly understood that she must have deduced something from the purposeful clues that he had placed in the story from the day before.

It honestly made him feel proud at her. She possessed a very keen mind and a sound analysis for detail. Another thing that they seemed to have in common.

Once again, he chuckled inwardly, before he shifted his attention back on the girl standing in front of him, noting how she still had the same cryptic expression on her face.

"Thank you" he heard her eventually speak, ending it with yet another giggle.

He briefly wondered how she would react when he would tell and show her the actual truth, but did not dwell too much as he did not wish to accidentally spoil the surprise for himself.

Instead, he discarded his shoe wear and placed it in the designated spot several feet away from the door, before he glanced back at the rose haired girl as he spoke.

"Say, Yuno, are your parents not home? Because I had been expecting them to come and give their greetings by now."

As soon as he was done speaking, he immediately noticed how, just as the day before, a myriad of conflicting emotions crossed Yuno's face at the mention of her parents.

Which made it very clear to him that there was something he was most certainly missing regarding this entire matter, for even if they had stopped abusing her recently, she should have been feeling at least safer at the fact that her parents were not around her.

Yet, amongst the many emotions that she had tried to suppress, he had seen one which clearly did not match with the current circumstances.

Fear.

He was brought out of his musings when he heard her slightly distraught voice as she gave her reply to his previous question.

"Yes... They are on... a vacation..."

It truly did not sit well with him to see his beloved experience such distress, however, he knew that it had to be done in order for her to reach the bliss that awaited her.

There was no other way that it could be done. She had to confront whatever ailed her and overcome it. She was strong enough to do it and all that she had to do was simply endure the stress for a little longer.

"Oh, I see..." he quickly spoke in understanding, before he gave her a genuine smile. "It is a shame truly, since I was thinking that I should perhaps introduce myself as their future son in law."

Naruto felt slightly better when he saw how Yuno seemed to no longer be troubled and immediately brighten up after hearing his words.

"Follow me, Naruto" he heard her say to him in a loving voice, a prominent red dusting adorning her cheeks as she headed toward what appeared to be the main hallway of the house.

He silently began walking after her, taking a few moment to inspect the hallway as he passed through.

There appeared to be a multitude of charts and papers taped on each of the walls, and after quickly skimming through some of them, he figured that they must have been related to the matter of Yuno's abuse at the hands of their parents.

And that made the previous fury that he had brought down to a smoldering anger slowly get more intense, prompting him to resolve that those insects would definitely get their due punishment when he eventually saw them.

Several moments passed, and the young man's attention was instantly brought to a door which he was about to pass by when an odor that he knew all too well was registered by his senses.

The putrid smell of death and decay.

He immediately realized that something had died behind those two doors, but beyond that, he was still left with questions.

It could have been an animal that got accidentally trapped somewhere, or it could have very well been the corpse of someone who had died in there.

However, given the information that he had managed to gather thus far, he was leaning toward the second option.

Unfortunately, he was still missing some pieces of the puzzle in order for him to be able to solve it, so he would have to wait until he gathered all of them, for otherwise he would be simply working with endless theories and assumptions.

Though, one thing was certain.

Whatever had happened behind those doors, it was directly tied to why his beloved was so distressed whenever she heard her parents being mentioned.

Naruto ignored the smell of rotting flesh that filled most of the hallway and continued to follow Yuno who seemed to not be minding the odor at all, something that did not go unnoticed by him.

Another clue which told him that whatever was behind those doors, it must have been there for quite some time for her to become used to the putrid smell.

One minute later and he interrupted his walking when he noticed Yuno stop in front of a door next to the end of the hallway. He waited for her to go in, before he also came in what he had deduced to be the living room upon entering.

"Have a seat, Naruto" he heard her address him, a happy smile present on her features as she pointed to a table in the middle of the rather modest room. "I'll go prepare some tea, so please make yourself comfortable."

"Alright, my dear" he replied warmly as he watched her turn around and walk out the door.

A few moments after he was left alone, Naruto began to absentmindedly inspect the content of the room, before his eyes eventually settled upon a TV set placed a few feet away from him.

Realizing that he had never actually used one of these devices himself, he grabbed the remote control from the table and attempted to turn the television on.

Only to have nothing happen after he had pressed the power button.

He tried again, using the other buttons, however, he was met with the same results.

He glanced up and attempted to turn on the ceiling fan, only to be once more met with no results.

He stood up and went to press the switch on the wall next to the door. Again, nothing happened.

At first, he had believed that the lack of illumination in the foyer and on the hallway was due to the fact that it was still light outside, however, in truth, it seemed that there was indeed no electricity whatsoever in the entire house.

It did not take him long to realize that this was yet another missing piece of the puzzle, and that he was getting very close to finally solving it.

The faint sound of footsteps on the hallway prompted him to return to his place at the table and seat himself as he waited for Yuno's return.

Several moments later and his darling entered the room with two cups and a steaming kettle on a small tray.

He observed her as she placed the tray on the table, before she began filling the cups with tea.

When she was done, she quickly handed him one of the cups with a smile on her face.

"I hope you'll like it" he heard her say. "It's a special recipe that I came up with a while ago."

Naruto took a sip from his tea and quickly decided that it was quite delicious. There was something about the way all of the different flavors complemented each other that made the beverage have quite the exquisite taste.

However, as much as he might have wanted to stay and enjoy this tea with his beloved, he knew that there were much more pressing matters which had to be attended to right now.

After everything was done, time would no longer be a constraint for her, so she would be able to do whatever she wanted for as long as she wanted to.

"I was wondering..." Naruto suddenly began, immediately getting the rose haired girl's attention as she was about to seat herself at the table as well. "Do you happen to know why there is no electricity?"

By the time he was done speaking, he felt the same unpleasant sensation from before return when he noticed the tears that started to fall from his beloved's eyes, as well as the pained expression that now marred her beautiful face.

Yet, in spite of the guilt that he felt at making her shed tears, he knew that there was no other way.

She had to conquer her emotions and psyche, so that she could achieve the required mental state for controlling true power. Otherwise, if she did not overcome the current disharmony within her mind, she would never be able to utilize the power that he intended to gift her and she would also be at risk if she ever attempted to use it in such a state.

His chakra was incredibly powerful and it could easily consume the unprepared mind. To control his power, one would need a strong mind free of any disturbance, an indomitable will and a body capable of housing such great power.

She already possessed the necessary will, and while her body might not be exactly powerful enough, his chakra would take care of that and strengthen it accordingly.

However, her mind was the only thing that he could not help her with. Not because it was not within his power, but because it would be disgraceful to her should he do it in such a manner.

He had already established that she possessed an adequate mindset, however, she needed to overcome the plagues of her mind on her own.

He knew that she was able to, and that was exactly why he had opted for this approach instead of having to wait endless days until she was capable of mastering the art of meditation to a degree which would help her reach that state of mind.

This was the only help that he could offer her.

He could provide her with this shortcut, but only because there already existed a personified divide in her mind. Otherwise, she would have had to do it the same way that he had done it when he had been training in mastering his power during his youth.

Naruto was brought out of his musings when he noticed Yuno suddenly stumble as she was about to fall.

He instantly sprung from his seated position and caught her from falling, his arms quickly circling her waist and back as they brought her body close to his own.

Gazing at her face, he noticed that she was experiencing extreme dizziness and nausea, and that she was on the verge of fainting, so he quickly helped her calm down with a small application of his chakra.

"Breathe deeply, Yuno" he calmly told her when he noticed her open her eyes as she regained her senses. "Everything is alright. I am right here."

However, despite his attempt at calming her, he noticed how the expression of fear had yet to leave her face, and after a few moments of deep consideration, he finally understood.

The last piece of the puzzle fell into its place, and he knew the reason for why Yuno acted like that. Why she felt so much fear whenever he mentioned her parents.

She feared that his view of her would change if he were to ever find out about whatever it was that was hidden behind those wooden doors.

And by now, he felt that he knew exactly what was behind those doors. And the mere thought of it brought him intense anger. Anger at those insects for daring do such a thing to her. To his Yuno!

The pupils of his pale eyes rapidly faded until only their outline was barely visible and the irises visibly enlarged as the veins around his temples engorged.

His byakugan effortlessly pierced past the physical barriers and immediately saw the contents of that room.

And when he finally saw with his own eyes what lay behind those doors, he felt wrath course through him.

The small cage.

The bloodstains inside it.

The missing patches of the tatami mats next to the cage.

The dried up half digested grass in the back of the cage.

And lastly, the lifeless husks of those two insects at the front of the cage, their withered hands desperately reaching for the outside past the iron bars.

Had he not possessed such strong mental discipline, Naruto was certain that he would have made an example of those two right there and then. Of what would happen to those who dared harm his Yuno.

Still, it was very fortunate that he possessed such flawless control over his mind and emotions, because it would allow him to enjoy the eventual time of their punishment much, _much_ more.

After all, as some people of this world would say, vengeance was a dish best served cold.

Calmly bringing his fury under a tight leash, Naruto deactivated his dōjutsu and focused back on his beloved as she was infinitely more important than dealing with those two insects. And besides, he would not dare deny her the chance to have the first hand in delivering their punishments.

But before that, there were still a couple steps which she had to first take.

So, with that thought in mind, he empowered his eyes with his chakra until they rippled and gained a purple tint.

Then, he gently cupped Yuno's face with his left hand as he gazed into her startled cerise eyes, the pitch black crescent moon symbol on his palm shining a dark light through his ebony glove.

######

"I was wondering... Do you happen to know why there is no electricity?"

As soon as she registered his words, Yuno froze in her spot as she understood that the sole thing which she dreaded would actually come to be true.

Tears rapidly pooled in her eyes when she realized that in order to continue concealing her secret—the ugly truth, she would have to further lie to her Naruto.

There was no way out of this, and she knew it. If she wanted to keep him from finding out about her parents, then she would have to keep deceiving him.

And that thought alone made her feel a wave of vertigo strong enough to make her stumble and fall down.

Yet, she never got to experience the pain of hitting the wooden floor as she felt two arms wrap tightly around her and stop her from falling.

She slowly opened her tear filled eyes, but was hardly able to see the face of her beloved through all of the dizziness and nausea that seemed to have overcome her.

She felt her consciousness rapidly slipping away, however, before she could have passed out, she suddenly felt all of the previous dizziness and nausea vanish as if a hand had simply swept them away, and quickly experienced a weird but not unpleasant sensation wash over her as it instantly cleared all of her senses.

She slowly opened her eyes once more and this time she clearly saw the expression of concern that was on her beloved's face.

"Breathe deeply, Yuno" she heard him say in a calm voice. "Everything is alright. I am right here."

Yet, despite hearing his words, she was unable to stave off the fear that had taken a hold of her being and would have started crying once more had she not been interrupted by the gentle touch of his hand when it cupped her face.

She quickly sought his eyes, but was instantly taken aback by what she saw when she found them.

His eyes were no longer the peculiar yet exquisite white that she had become used to seeing and admiring during the past two weeks. Instead, they were a deep, mesmerizing royal purple color.

But that was not all.

The pupils appeared to have shrunk to small dots, and surrounding them could be now seen black concentric circles which spanned the entirety of the no longer distinguishable irises and sclerae.

She continued to look in wonder at those unnatural eyes, feeling increasingly uneasy the more she felt their gaze upon her.

It was akin to being stared at by something which did not belong to this world.

Something which did not exist in accordance to it.

She felt that those eyes gazing at her could only be described as being simply otherworldly.

However, she did not get to dwell too much on that thought, because she quickly felt her awareness and perception of the world begin to change, until her consciousness completely faded into darkness.

######

The sight that welcomed Yuno when she regained her senses left her confused and mildly shocked as she could do nothing but simply stare at it in complete bafflement.

Gone was the interior of her living room, as it seemed to have been replaced by a drying endless meadow, with the grass withered and dying.

She quickly looked around her in an attempt to figure out where she was, however, the moment she took in the rest of the scenery, she was filled with even more apprehension.

The skies above were dark and gloomy, and in the far distance, the silhouette of what appeared to be a lonely figure was casting an enormous shadow, which loomed over the entire dying meadow in a cloud of depression.

She quickly decided that she felt incredibly uncomfortable in this place, wherever she was, since it reminded her a bit too much of some things which she would not want to experience ever again.

Trying to ignore the despairing atmosphere as best as she could, Yuno began walking in the direction of the distant silhouette, hoping that by doing so she would be able to learn more about the place where she had found herself in.

After several minutes of walking through the decidedly inhospitable place, she was finally able to properly discern the figure of that person, and was further shocked and confused when she realized that said person was actually a girl who looked almost identical to her.

The sole difference between them being only their eyes, something which she had immediately noticed when the girl had turned around to regard her arrival.

"Who are you?" Yuno asked in a rather guarded manner as she stared at the sea of blood surrounded by pitch black that were the girl's eyes.

Her question, however, was met with an amused snort followed by derisive laughter.

"Oh?" the girl sounded amusedly. "So the _princess_ has finally decided to visit me?" she gave another laugh. "My, what a surprise indeed."

Yuno quickly narrowed her eyes at her doppelgänger's sarcastic remark and was about to say something, but was interrupted when the girl standing a few feet in front of her spoke once more.

"Now, now, there's no need to get so hostile" a smile slowly formed on the girl's face. "After all, we are one and the same, aren't we?"

A look of shock followed by one of understanding dawned in rapid succession over Yuno's features as she stared at her look-alike, whose smile was becoming wider by the second.

"There you go. Now you understand" the identically looking girl spoke patronizingly. "It wasn't so hard, was it now?"

After a few more moments of silence on her part, Yuno finally spoke in a candid tone.

"You are the voice that tormented me all of this time, aren't you?"

These words made her double snort once more in amusement.

"Tormented?" the girl asked almost incredulously. "All this time I've been here helping you, and you say that I've been tormenting you? Are you truly this ignorant?"

"Then, pray tell, what should I call these acts of yours, huh?" Yuno retorted, anger slowly bleeding in her voice. "Do you seriously think that you've been doing anything but tormenting me?"

Her doppelgänger didn't seem to take her words very well, but she didn't care. After all of the misery that she had put her through, taking this verbal lashing was the least that she could do.

"Do you have any idea of what kept you alive during all of those times when you should have died in that cage?" the look-alike girl voiced out, sounding incensed. "Do you even have any clue about who it was that kept you safe and sane during those times?" her voice went up an octave as she continued. "It was me, you ungrateful bitch! I've taken as much of your negative emotions as I could and kept them away from influencing you! I've helped you get through your shitty life in that cage, and this is how you thank me?! By saying that I've tormented you?!"

Yuno was left momentarily speechless by the revelation that her double had just made and she could only think over the things that she had just learned.

What the girl had said actually made sense.

In a sort of twisted way, this entity standing in front of her had protected her over the years by isolating her from anything that could have harmed her in some way.

That was why she had tried to make her doubt her Naruto at that time.

Still, as much as this made sense, it didn't make it any better, since despite the help that she had tried to provide, this look-alike of her had also made her life miserable. And while she could have overlooked that, she could not overlook the fact that she had tried to keep her away from her Naruto.

Which was why she would not be apologizing for her previous remark.

"I'm not going to apologize" Yuno spoke flatly as she gazed in the blood red eyes of the girl, only to be surprised when instead of seeing her become even more angry, she actually saw her eyes soften a little.

"I know" the doppelgänger spoke, surprising the rose haired girl even further. "And I don't even want you to apologize, because it is me who should, in fact, apologize."

Yuno raised a curious eyebrow at the girl's words.

"I should have not doubted his intentions at that time..." the look-alike spoke apologetically. "But I was too stubborn and distrusting to believe that what he had showed you was real. Yet, after I've seen it with my own eyes, I could no longer deny it—him. And that's why I am sorry. Because I had tried to keep you away from him, when I should have in fact encouraged you to pursue him further..."

Yuno seemed to be considering her words for a few moments.

"I... accept your apology" she eventually replied. "But I am not going to forget what you had tried to do."

Once again, Yuno was surprised when her doppelgänger acted in a manner completely different from what she would have expected. That is, she began to laugh at her.

"Hah, I seriously can't believe that you've just said that" the girl spoke incredulously after a few moments of laughter. "Don't tell me that you already forgot about it?" she further questioned when she noticed Yuno's confused expression. "Oh, that's rich! And here I thought that our meeting would quickly become dull."

"Just get to the point already!" Yuno raised her voice in irritation. She was really getting tired of this double of hers with how she managed to get under her skin so easily.

"Oh, don't get angry, _princess_ " the doppelgänger drawled, a mocking smile slowly forming on her face. "We wouldn't want you to also add anger issues to your list of problems, right next to your hypocrisy, would we now?"

"Speak. Now." Yuno hissed at her look-alike in slowly bubbling anger.

"Oho! That's a nice face. Although, I should know that, since I've seen it on myself each and every time when I had to listen to your stupidity" the girl jeered, uncaring of Yuno's growing anger. "But to answer your question... Try to remember your discussion with _him_ from the day before. More specifically the part where you told him your little story. Hm, I wonder what he would think when he finds out that you've been lying to him this whole time. Or when he learns of the truth that you've been deliberately trying to keep away from him."

As soon as she registered her doppelgänger's words, Yuno immediately felt all of her anger drain as it was replaced by guilt.

She remembered the words of deceit that she had spoken to her beloved, yet was unable to dwell much on those thoughts as the mocking voice of her double quickly sounded once more in her ears.

"I wonder... I wonder what dear, lovely, so supporting, so loving Naruto would think when the truth is finally revealed" the girl spoke in thinly veiled contempt. "You've seen how much he respects and loves his family, even after they had long died. So... I wonder what he would say once he learns of the monster who had killed her own parents" she gave a derisive laugh. "Sure he could only be disgusted in the face of such a sin, no? Just imagine beautiful Naruto's eyes, those eyes which you so adore to gaze upon as they look at you in contempt and disgust."

"No..." Yuno whispered in denial as she desperately searched for something in her mind to hold onto.

She couldn't fall again. Not this time, because she was certain that if she fell now, then she would lose everything. There was no longer anyone to pick her up in here. She was alone inside what appeared to be her own mind, with only the embodiment of her negative emotions. It was obvious to her what would happen if she were to stumble and fall in here.

She glanced toward the sky, and briefly saw, amidst the darkness of the thick clouds, a small silvery ray as it shined down upon the twisted meadow. It didn't last for too long, yet it had lasted long enough for her to notice it.

She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew what it meant. It was hope. The hope that had kept her strong this whole time. To hope that _he_ had given her.

"You're wrong..." she began, staring her look-alike in her crimson eyes with newfound conviction. "He would never think of me like that... even if he were to learn of what I had done."

And it was true, for she had seen it. Even if she had not realized it at that time, her mind had recognized it. Her subconscious had understood what her eyes had seen and had kept it for her, until the time when she would need that memory to help her.

That was what she had seen moments earlier among the clouds.

The mental representation of Naruto's love and of the hope that he had been to her. The hope that would always prevail and would never be vanquished by the darkness of her doubts.

She felt a genuine smile form on her lips as she spoke her next words to her doppelgänger. "And that is because he had already accepted me. I was blind to not see it earlier... but now I do. I finally see what had been before my eyes this entire time..." she paused as tears of happiness fell from her eyes. "Naruto... he had already accepted me for what I am... And the only thing that remains is for me to accept myself..." she wiped away her tears and gazed with resolve in the blood red eyes that had been looking at her critically during her entire speech. "And that includes you as well, because... well... you are a part of me, too."

By the time when Yuno finished her speech, she noticed from her peripheral vision how the meadow around her seemed to be slowly changing, as if the world itself was becoming more brighter.

The withered grass flourished.

Daisies began to grow among the now verdant blades of grass.

The skies lightened as the thick blanket of clouds dissipated.

But probably the biggest change of them all was the beautiful sun that had been revealed in the middle of the sky.

It was silver in color, like the moon, but still bright enough to be considered a star.

A breathtaking star that singularly dwarfed everything else in this world.

"It's truly wonderful, isn't it?"

Yuno could only nod at the words of her look-alike.

"This is how your heart had slowly come to look like ever since the day when you had first met him" she heard her double speak again. "Oh, and I assume that you no longer need me to tell you what that sun is, no?"

Yuno shook her head. "That's what Naruto represents to me, isn't it?" she replied, still transfixed by the sight of the silvery sun above her.

"Yes, that's correct."

Yuno glanced back at her look-alike. "So... what is going to happen now?" she asked, bringing the girl's attention from the gigantic sun back to her.

The doppelgänger smirked. "Impatient, are we?" she spoke wryly, but a glare from Yuno quickly got her to drop her sarcasm and answer the question. "Well, initially I would have taken over you, had you not gotten over your stupidity..." she ignored Yuno's narrowed eyes and continued. "But now that you've seen past that and had finally acknowledged your own self... you just need to accept what I represent" she paused briefly, her smirk widening. "Or you could just leave, but then you will have to live with a voice inside your head. So... what do you choose?"

Yuno listened to her double's words with an unreadable expression on her face as her eyes seemed to dull, and when the girl was done speaking, she began to silently walk toward her.

The option that she had chosen was more than obvious.

It was the one where she wouldn't have to share her Naruto with anyone else, be them even a part of her own self.

He was hers and she wouldn't let anyone else have him.

The doppelgänger looked curiously at Yuno as she slowly approached her, and was about to say something in questioning when she felt herself be embraced in a hug, however, she was quickly interrupted by the sharp sting that she felt in her chest.

Yuno looked in confusion at her look-alike as she suddenly began laughing, despite the box cutter that was plunged hilt deep into her chest where her heart should be found.

Oddly enough, the was also no blood, but that small detail paled in comparison to the rather unexpected reaction that she had gotten from her doppelgänger.

She expected to see at least some shock, not that content—and proud?—expression on her face.

"Aww~, don't be surprised" Yuno heard her look-alike say as she returned her hug. "I've been intending for this to happen ever since I saw and heard your resolve. That's why I've added that second option. Because I knew that it would definitely get me the reaction that I wanted from you."

The doppelgänger continued when she noticed that Yuno had yet to completely figure her reasoning.

"I embody your negative emotions, Yuno. Of course that I would wish for a fitting end. And besides, doing it this way would also help you get in tune easier with all of the repressed emotions that will return to you after this is over."

A look of understanding crossed Yuno's face as she listened to the girl's explanation. It was definitely a twisted way of doing things, but it was one to be expected given her nature as her repressed negative emotions.

"Thank you" Yuno eventually spoke, however, she was once again met with a completely different reaction from her doppelgänger than what she had been expecting.

Although, now that she thought better, it kind of made sense, given what she had learned about her so far. After all, she was inherently attuned to reacting like this.

"Don't thank me" the look-alike snorted in derision. "I don't deserve it."

And following those words, Yuno watched as the girl in her arms began turning into light particles which were quickly getting absorbed into her.

The last thing that she heard from the embodiment of her negative emotions before she completely vanished were a few words which she completely agreed with and that she promised to never stray away from.

"Never doubt your heart, no matter how black it might be... and never... never doubt him again."

By the time when all of the light particles got absorbed into her, Yuno could clearly feel the change within her.

She felt as if a long lost part of her had finally returned where it belonged.

She felt empowered by all of the intense emotions welling up within her.

She felt complete.

But most importantly, she felt as if she was finally able to see with clarity the extent of the feelings that her beloved held for her.

Feeling a surge of euphoria suddenly course through her, Yuno looked toward the bright sky, her eyes manic and her mouth widely open as she uttered a single word.

" _Naruto..._ "

A moment later, she realized that her perception of the world began to change once again and she could barely hold in the excitement that she felt at the mere thought of getting to see _him_ again.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **A.N: So, as you had probably already noticed, I am back.**

 **Firstly, I would like to thank all of those who had wished me good luck for my exams. I am finally done with them as of last week and I had also passed all of them. Which is good.**

 **Secondly, I would like to thank everyone who had read and put this story either on their favorite or on their alert lists. Also, to those who had particularly expressed their zeal regarding the story, here is another thank you.**

 **And lastly, I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter, because I sure had enjoyed writing it.**

 **Now, before I get to answering the guest reviews, I would like to say that the new semester will begin on Monday, so I cannot say with exactitude when the next chapter will come out.**

 **I have spent the entire one week holiday after the exams writing this chapter, so in comparison to that, getting the next chapter out might take me a month or two, depending on how busy I will be with my studies.**

 **Still, do not worry, for if everything else fails, there is always the one week Easter holiday to rely upon.**

 **And that would be everything for now.**

 **ruce: I know that most of the previous chapter was quite dramatic, however, there is not much that I can do in that regard, since it kind of has to do with my style of writing. I quite enjoy putting an accent on the dramatics. Still, I know that the previous chapter was particularly dramatic in comparison to the others, but that was mainly due to the fact that I needed it to be as such in order to properly convey the things which I had wished to convey.**

 **The Dude: Well, I hope that you found acceptable the hardships that Yuno and Naruto have had to face in this chapter. Because beyond this, there will not be any other hardships in their relationship, as their mutual feelings and trust had reached a level where doubts can no longer reach.**

 **Mark: Glad that you've enjoyed it.**

 **Chris: I find myself rather surprised that you did not understand anything, since I had thought that I had been rather clear with the explanations which I had given in the summary and the first half of the prologue. One could even say that you did not properly read them for you to not understand.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

 **Warning: This chapter is very, very lengthy. Please, proceed with caution.**

#######

 **Chapter 6: Enlightened Apotheosis**

Only a few moments had passed for Naruto ever since he had helped Yuno enter her mind scape, however, he knew that she should be returning back to consciousness in less than a minute from now.

The passage of time within ones inner world was drastically different from their outside perception of it, with it capable of even being brought to a complete standstill should enough discipline and control be present.

That was the reason for why he was expecting his beloved to stir awake in his arms at any moment.

Something which indeed happened just as he had surmised it would, since not even a second later, the girl in his arms slowly opened her eyes as she immediately sought his own.

Yet, as much as he might have wanted to, he was unable to properly greet her, for any and all words had left him the moment when he registered the look which she gave him.

Her half lidded cerise eyes were staring at him with a passion so intense that he could almost feel the emotions conveyed through her loving gaze as though they were a tangible force grasping at his very soul.

He felt himself become spellbound at the sight of her exquisite gaze and he could do nothing but stare at her alluring expression as he basked in all of the raw emotions that she sent his way.

He quickly understood that there was not even a need for words right now, simply because the very way she gazed at him told him everything that he might have wanted to know.

She had succeeded. She had attained the clarity of mind that he had wished for her to obtain and she had finally become whole once again, in both mind and spirit.

But most importantly, she had finally lost any and all of the doubt which had been lingering to her heart the entire time.

That was why she was able to look at him with such raw passion that it ignited his own emotions for her into a fervent blaze.

He was more than aware that he had come to love her during the past few days, yet as he continued to gaze in her passionate eyes, he realized that he had long exceeded that point as his own feelings for her seemed to be matching her own in their sheer intensity.

And that was why he could barely wait for the moment when they would finally be able to experience the extent of their feelings for each other. So that they could actually feel the love they held for each other as if it was a part of their very being.

A soft smile slowly formed on Naruto's face as he began to gently caress Yuno's face with his gloveless hand.

"You have done splendidly, my dear" he spoke with pride filling his tone, his words bringing the girl in his arms out of her trance as she began leaning in closer to his face.

Knowing what would be coming next, he decided to postpone what else he had intended to say in favor of enjoying the moment that his beloved seemed to wish to have with him.

Therefore, he did not say anything else for the time being, not that he could have done it anyway, since he immediately felt her soft lips upon his own as she gave him a passionate kiss.

He spent the next few moments enjoying the pleasant sensations that she brought him with her ministrations, before he noticed her seemingly grow bolder in her actions as she attempted to deepen the kiss.

The hand which he had previously used to caress her cheek with slowly made its way through her silken cotton candy locks as he brought her face even closer to his own.

A brief gasp told him that she had not been expecting him to do that, however, the following soft moan that escaped her lips had quickly let him know that she had definitely enjoyed it.

As such, he slowly deepened the kiss even further, relishing in the sensations brought by her tongue entwining with his own as he gently caressed her back with his other hand.

After another minute of locking their lips together, he felt her slowly pull away from him, an intense dusting of red coloring her elated face as she gazed at him with loving eyes.

"Naruto..." she breathed out dreamily, her arms slowly entangling around his neck as she continued to stare deeply into his pale eyes. "I love you..." her warm breath tingled his face as she leant closer. "I love you so much..." her soft lips were mere millimeters away from his own as she whispered one last time. "My Naruto..."

Following those words, he immediately felt her lips upon his own once again as she began giving him another passionate kiss, one through which she seemed to be pouring all of her emotions.

This second kiss was more sublime than the previous one, yet he knew that it would definitely pale in front of what they would be able to share with each other by the end of this day, when it would all finally become as he had come to slowly yearn for it to be ever since he had first met her.

Feeling the soft sensation of her lips slowly disappear from his own, he decided that it was time for the last of the preparations to be made, so he brought the hand he had been keeping buried in her silky locks and gently cupped her face once more.

He gazed into her half lidded eyes and focused his power to his own eyes as he spoke in a heartfelt tone.

"The feelings you hold for me are sublime..." he once again began to tenderly caress her face as he continued with his words. "Your love for me is intoxicating... it makes my very soul yearn for your own..."

His now rippled eyes were gazing deeply into her cerise ones, and he felt a warm emotion surge through his being when he noticed how, as opposed to the first time when she had been unsettled by the sight of his Rinnegan, this time she seemed to be mesmerized by their violet splendor instead.

He eventually brought her out of her brief trance when he spoke once more, his voice taking on a more firm tone.

"Yet, these are mere words that I speak to you. Transient... insubstantial... vague at best..." he noticed the questioning and slightly confused look that appeared on her face upon hearing him say that, so he quickly elaborated. "I know that we have achieved a marvelous state of mutual comprehension of our values and selves, however, we have only done so within the limits imposed by normal human understanding. And due to that constraining reason, the definitions of those words still hold ambiguity and what they stand for is still lost to us..."

The thoughtful look which she had developed on her face told him that she was giving her best in attempting to understand what he had been implying the entire time, so he decided to finish his explanation, as he did not want to keep her guessing for too long.

"Which is why I intend to permanently rectify this by elevating our understanding for each other to its _utmost_ " he emphasized on the last word as an eager smile slowly formed on his lips. "So that we will finally be capable of perfect comprehension of our selves through means which shall reign eternal even when opposed by the transience of fleeting words."

He might have been a bit too philosophic with his speech, however, he knew that his beloved would be able to eventually understand what he had told her. After all, he had clearly seen during all of their time spent together thus far how brilliant and sharp her mind was.

But besides that, he had also had to properly set the stage for the grand reveal, since it would have simply not done for it to not be a performance fitting in appearance to the context of the story that would be told.

Noticing that she was about to say something, he quickly brought his hand from her cheek and silenced her parted lips with an alabaster finger.

"However, before that..." he began with his previous smile still in place as he gazed at her slightly rosy cheeks. "There is one last thing which needs to be done. One last preparation to be made for the wondrous rapture that is to follow..."

He briefly paused to add a more theatric note to what he would be saying next and felt a wave of excitement wash over him when he saw the adorably confused expression which crossed her features the moment she registered his upcoming words.

"Your enlightenment."

And with those last two words spoken, he used his power to drag his beloved's and his own consciousnesses to the inside of his own mind and spirit, the mental world where it would all finally be unveiled.

#######

For the second time during the past hour, Yuno looked around her in a mixture of shock and confusion as she found herself once again in a completely different place than her living room where she had been standing until only a moment ago.

However, this time the experience was quite different, since instead of the uneasiness and apprehension that the initial gloomy scenery of her mind had brought her, right now she felt awed at the sight before of her eyes.

Pristine water, clearer than a crystal, extended in all directions as far as her eyes could see.

It was an endless ocean, unperturbed and free of any disturbances as it emitted a faint silvery glow, making it seem as if it were an ethereal scenery ripped straight out of a fairytale.

Her eyes continued to drink in the beauty of the ocean surrounding her, before they slowly moved upward as they had briefly caught sight of what resided within the skies in its reflection upon the liquid mirror beneath her feet.

And her breath was caught in her throat at the sight that welcomed her.

A vast expanse of perfectly blended colors stretched out from the horizon all the way toward the heavens as it encompassed every part of the sky that her eyes gazed upon.

A myriad of stars covered the sky above with their glittering splendor, decorating its never ending canvas with melting hues as they illuminated the vastness of the universe.

And in the midst of these breathtaking decorations, standing above the horizon where the endless ocean met the infinite universe, two distinct sights could be seen in all of their imposing glory.

A dark crescent moon, and to its right, a bright blinding sun.

Their forms seemed to be just as far as the other celestial bodies, yet their sizes still dwarfed everything else in the illuminated heights of the never ending heavens.

She continued to stare in wonder at the scenery of the world existing before her eyes, until she was eventually brought out of her trance when she noticed ripples in the water beneath her feet as they appeared to be coming from somewhere behind her.

She quickly spun around on her feet, part of her mind still wondering how she was able to stand on water, however, such thoughts were instantly forgotten when she finally took in the sight which met her eyes.

Floating a few inches above the water with his legs crossed and his palms on his knees was the form of her beloved Naruto, clad in something completely different from what she had last seen him wear before she had found herself in this place.

Gone were his white dress shirt, gold trimmed black jacket, matching trousers and shoes, as they had been now replaced by a flowing pure white robe which she realized that it looked very similar to the ceremonial garments that were worn by some priests and monks.

His robe reached down to the ocean beneath, and from what she could see, it had been the source of the previous ripples as its ends faintly touched the surface of the water in several places.

The pristine robe also possessed rather long sleeves that hung low past his knees while barely exposing his hands, as well as a high, flaring collar, beneath which could be seen six comma shaped black symbols, identical to those also present on the hem of each sleeve, which she had quickly recognized as being magatama.

Her eyes eventually reached his face, where she immediately noticed that he still held that soft smile on his face while his eyebrow-less eyes were still the same mesmerizing violet with black concentric rings surrounding a dot-like pupil.

However, the most prominent of the features that she noticed were the two lustrous and sharp horns of obsidian color that jutted out of his scalp and rose through his white, silky locks.

She gazed at him for a few more moments, before she finally spoke, her voice filled with amazement at all of the things that she had seen so far.

"This place is beautiful, Naruto..." she quickly paused, taking some time to gather her rampant thoughts as she remembered that there were things of much more importance than just admiring the scenery, regardless of how beautiful it might have been. "But how am I inside your mind? And what did you mean with my enlightenment when you spoke about those things earlier?"

The fact that she was somehow inside her beloved's mind had not been too hard to realize, given the incredibly unique scenery, as well as the exact same sensation of her perception of the world shifting before she had found herself in this place.

However, she had absolutely no idea of what had happened, on top of being rather confused about of the things that her Naruto had told her before he had somehow brought her in here.

He had once again been deliberately mysterious with his words and to top it off he had also become philosophic at some point during his speech.

She was very curious about all of these peculiar things that she had learned of during the past few minutes, but right now she had nothing more than several discrepant bits of her theories and twice as many questions which had arisen after listening to his words.

She was suddenly brought out of her musings by the sound of his voice as he heard him utter a heartfelt "Thank you", before she saw him start floating closer to her position as the ends of his robe created more ripples in the ocean below while he hovered past its surface.

Her eyes were once more drawn to the pair of dark horns resting atop his head, before she heard him continue speaking.

"If my appearance unsettles you, please let me know. I will change it at once should you desire as such, my dear."

She glanced back at his face which was now only a few feet away from hers, before she gave him a loving smile as she quickly replied.

"Don't be silly, Naruto. Horns or not, it doesn't matter to me. My feelings for you will always be the same, regardless of how you look on the outside."

The expression that she saw forming on his visage in response to her words instantly made her heart flutter, but his following words made it soar.

"You are simply a marvel, Yuno..."

She was about to jump toward him and embrace him in a hug, however, she was interrupted when she noticed another peculiar thing about him, more specifically about his reflexion in the water.

Instead of a mirror image of him, the water below revealed the sight of a very old man who possessed short, spiky white hair, with a chin-length braid hanging in front of his left ear and a long goatee tapered down to his waist.

His eyes were the same ringed violet, but his horns were different; smaller and the same color as his pale skin. They protruded not from his scalp, but from the sides of his forehead, in the middle of which a similar ringed eye seemed to be tattooed, its color however being red as opposed to his own purple ones.

He also had no eyebrows and did not seem to possess have the pitch black glove that her beloved always wore on his left hand, however, his wrinkled features were set in the same joyous expression as the one present on Naruto's face.

It truly did not take her too long to realize what this meant, however, despite figuring it out, or at least believing to have understood a small part of the mystery that her beloved was, it did not make any of it less outlandish and unbelievable.

It was not that she would not believe what all of the accumulated clues seemed to be hinting toward at, but rather that she could not find any logical explanation for the implications that the things she had learnt of so far suggested.

It simply left her even more confused and with even more questions, yet she knew that she would not doubt her beloved. Whatever it was that he would be telling her, she would accept it without a shred of doubt.

She was once again brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her beloved's voice, and she focused all of her attention back on him as she listened to what he told her.

"I am certain that you must be having a lot of questions, my dear" she heard him begin in a serious tone. "Questions whose answers most definitely seem as if they would make no sense regardless of the angle form which they are looked at."

She simply nodded at his words as she listened to him continue.

"You have wondered before about how it is possible for your consciousness to be inside my own mind, as well as about what it had been that which I had meant when I had spoken of your upcoming enlightenment."

Once again, she nodded at his words as she felt increasingly eager at the prospect of finally understanding the mysteriousness that enshrouded her beloved.

"Well, the answers to all of your questions will be coming shortly as I will be doing my best in order to explain to you everything that you wish to know."

Her curiosity was almost overwhelming her at this point, and she was sure that he must have noticed it on her face, since he gave her a smile as he motioned for her to come toward him.

She wasted no time and took a few steps until she found herself standing in front of his hovering form as she gazed into his violet eyes.

The reason for why he had motioned earlier for her to approach him became clear to her when she felt his arms wrap around her lithe frame as he gently brought her closer to him and seated her on his lap.

She quickly felt her cheeks heat up at his sudden action and their close proximity, however, soon enough she relaxed in his embrace as she continued to gaze deeply in his eyes.

"However, to actually speak of the things that you must have certainly been wondering about during this entire time, I shall tell you a story" she heard him say as she noticed a reminiscent look cross his visage. "A tale about my life up to the very point before I had met you, the one who had changed everything in it for the best."

As soon as the last few words were registered by her mind, she felt the urge to kiss him senselessly, however, she refrained from doing so, because she did not want to distract him from the things that he was about to tell her.

Instead, she opted for just giving him a brief peck on his cheek as she decided that she would leave the part in which she kissed him senselessly for after he was done with the story.

"Now then, my dear, let us finally begin with the storytelling..."

Following his words, she noticed the world around them change once more as everything began to disappear with the colors seemingly melting away into nothingness as an entirely new scenery was slowly being revealed.

#######

A pure white void greeted her sight as she glanced around from her spot on her beloved's lap, before she looked back at Naruto with a curious expression on her face.

"Before I truly begin with my tale, there is one thing which you must know" she listened to him speak, feeling her curiosity increase as she wondered about what it might be that he would be saying next.

It was definitely clear to her that whatever he told her, it would be an answer to a lot of her questions, however, upon actually hearing his words, she was left momentarily shocked as she would have never expected such a revelation to be the case.

"I am certain that you must have very recently entertained such a possibility, but eventually discarded it due to its sheer apparent absurdity" he paused as a knowing smile formed on his lips. "Yet, I assure you that your intuition had been correct, my dear, since I am truly not of this world."

She replayed his words in her mind and she quickly realized that she had indeed considered this possibility for a brief moment during her previous musings, before she had ultimately discarded it due to the lack of a logical explanation for it.

Sure, she was aware that alien life certainly existed in the vastness of the universe and she did not deny it, however, she still could not wrap her mind around the fact that such an entity was here in the first place, and even more so, as her lover and fiancé.

It was simply mind boggling, and while it definitely explained the outlandish feats that she had seen him perform over the past two weeks, it still did not make it any less of a puzzling revelation. Which was why she could not refrain herself from voicing out her thoughts that until now she had considered to be simply part of the fabulous realm.

"So you are actually an alien...?" she said in mild shock and disbelief as she was still processing his earlier words.

But she was quickly snapped out of her daze when she suddenly heard him begin chuckling heartily, and she quickly glanced up at his smiling face with a confused expression on her own.

"Oh, Yuno, you never cease to amaze me..."

Despite her slowly forming blush, she managed to keep her questioning gaze, which prompted him to continue. However, as soon as she heard his next words, she felt even more bewildered than before.

"Your deduction was very close to the actual truth, yet at the same time it was rather far from it."

She kept staring at him with a befuddled expression as she listened to his explanation.

"You see, when I stated that I am not of this world, I did not refer solely to this particular planet when I said _world_."

She took a few moments to mull over his last words, and her eyes widened in shock when realization finally dawned upon her.

To say it was disbelieving would have been an understatement, as she quickly found herself staring almost dumbfounded at his smiling visage while her mind tried desperately to accept the fact that the truth was even more outlandish than what she had initially thought it to be.

But still, with this being the case, then most, if not all, of the mysterious things about him finally made sense now. If he had somehow went to another universe, then most of the peculiar things that she had noticed about him undoubtedly paled in comparison to such an incredible feat.

However, something as being capable of traversing the worlds also begged for another question.

How? How was he able to be here, in a different world from his own?

Unfortunately, for that question she could not come up with anything as an answer.

She barely registered his following words as she was too caught up in her own thoughts which once again were on the verge of bringing her into a daze.

"Your realization is indeed precise, my dear. I am not of this universe, so I cannot exactly be considered an alien should we go by your world's standards and semantics."

His words managed to snap her out of her impending stupor, but her incredulous expression was still present on her face as she continued to stare into his rippling, violet eyes.

"How...?"

That was the only thing that she was able to say after being faced with a revelation of such magnitude, as her mind was too busy trying to restore order to the jumbled mess that were her thoughts.

"Trust me, my dear" she heard him speak once again. "My story shall answer all of your questions, so please, just endure for a little longer as I will commence it at once."

She simply gave a nod at his words and not even a moment later, she felt him gently move her in his lap until she was facing away from him, before she felt his arms embrace her form once more as they brought her close to his chest, with her head resting in the crook of his neck.

She truly did not need to ask him about the reason for this change in her position, because she quickly understood what was the case when she noticed the bright void all around her begin to gain color and substance as it rapidly turned into a completely different world.

#######

She stared in fascination at the scenery that was rapidly taking shape all around her, her mind no longer trying to weave complicated theories about her beloved, since she had immediately followed his previous words by deciding to simply wait for him to tell her the answers, just as he had promised her that he would.

Besides, she would definitely not miss the story of her beloved's life for something as trivial as her confounding thoughts and questions about his existence in her world.

She gave another look to her surroundings, noting that they had finally stopped shifting, however, as soon as her eyes took in the entirety of the sight that welcomed her, her breath was once again caught in her throat.

The scenery of her beloved's world was as surreal as much as it was beautiful. And while at a first glance it might have not looked much different from the earth of her own world, the differences could be easily noticed upon a closer inspection.

The very landscape was vibrant and filled with life.

The grass, the flowers, the trees.

They all possessed a blooming vitality that made them seem as if they were brought out of an idyllic landscape belonging to an utopia.

The numerous mountains rose high and effortlessly pierced the blanket of clouds, their imposing splendor so majestic as though they had been sculpted by the hands of divinity.

The hills and the plains perfectly complemented each other and the rest of the image with their raw beauty.

Yet, amidst this utopian scenery, there was one thing that eventually caught her eyes, a tiny part which did not fit this little slice of heaven that was the world around her.

In the not too far distance, situated in the midst of a plain that existed in stark contrast with the marvel surrounding it, the sight of a fairly large tree could be seen as it stood surrounded by a sea of red grass.

It did not take her too long to realize what was the nature of the element that made this image so dissonant with the rest of the world around it.

"Naruto..." she began, turning her head as she glanced at her beloved's face. "Is that... blood...?"

If most of the world that she had seen around her exuded vitality and life, then that discordant place which housed the tree gave off the feeling of death to her. And while the tree might have looked even more impressive and exquisite than any of the others that she had seen, its resplendence was easily shadowed by the decaying fields of blood and death surrounding it.

She noticed a pensive look cross his eyes, before she heard him speak in a reminiscing tone.

"Yes, my dear, that is indeed blood. The very beginning of my world's history. A history born from bloodshed and death."

Her eyes widened at his words, but she did not say anything to interrupt him. She simply listened to him as she took in every bit of information spoken by him about the history of his world.

"My world had been baptized in blood from the very beginning" she noticed him point at the tree in the distance, before she saw him make a sweeping gesture to encompass the rest of the scenery around him. "What you see here is how my world had been centuries before my time. During that era, man had been no less than a slightly more intelligent beast, always fighting, endlessly slaughtering kin and bathing the earth in their lifeblood... Yet, from all of that death, ironically enough, powerful life emerged. In the form of that splendid tree which you can see definitely thriving in its blood soaked environment. A magnificent tree grown from the life-giving essence of the deceased and nourished by the energy of the universe itself. The Shinju."

That last word of her beloved echoed in her mind as she absorbed everything that he had told her so far.

If just the beginning of his story had been so astounding, then she could only imagine how the rest of it would be. And judging by what she had learnt so far, this God Tree which he had said to be the beginning of everything... it was clear to her that it played a central role in his story.

Finishing her train of thought, she realized that the world around her began to change once again, this time, however, it appeared as though time itself had been sped up to such an extent that everything just flashed by her in a mixture of muddled colors and indistinguishable shapes.

#######

When the speeding vortex of fading colors and distorted shapes finally seemed to have stabilized, Yuno gave a brief look to her new surroundings and her eyes instantly widened for the second time during the past few minutes as she was shocked silent at what she came to witness.

A gigantic tree, taller than her eyes could hope to see was only a few dozen feet away from her, enshrouding everything in its surroundings in a perpetual shadow as no ray of light was able to pierce its dense vibrant crown.

Countless massive branches rose like imposing spears as they pierced through the sky and some of them through even the thick blanket of clouds that floated miles above the horizon.

A multitude of massive roots were dug into the soil all around her, their appearance resembling the image of an intricate web which was spread in every direction as though it held the very earth together.

"The God Tree..." she muttered breathlessly as she continued to stare in awe at the formidable sight before her eyes.

She was snapped out of her daze when she felt herself suddenly start moving and she quickly noted that her beloved had begun to hover around the monolithic trunk of the God Tree.

"Indeed, my dear" she heard him say. "This is the Shinju only a few years prior to my birth, already almost a millennium old ever since its emergence."

The sight revealed on the other side of the immense tree brought another astounded look on her features as soon as her eyes caught notice of it.

Sat amidst the massive roots of the God Tree, thousands upon thousands of people were unmoving in kneeling positions as they appeared to be fervently praying at what they must have surely perceived to be the embodiment of divinity standing before them.

She idly observed that all of the gazes of those who did not have their eyes closed during their prayers seemed to be fixated upon a round bulbous fruit of sorts that hung toward the base of the tree as they stared at it in reverence.

"Just as the Shinju had done over the passing of the ages, so had man too grown from mere beast to a more sapient creature."

She glanced back at Naruto, noting how a wry smile was slowly forming on his lips as he continued to speak.

"Yet, for all of the growth that they had gone through, the very essence of their existences had never changed. And as soon as favorable enough circumstances had presented themselves to them, they had once again reverted back to their belligerent ways of ages old."

She listened with rapt attention to each and every of his words as her curiosity grew the more she was being told.

"Man had never changed in the course of that millennium. He had only learnt to be a better animal. A more intelligent one. One that knew how to behave, but would drop the act at a moment's notice and revert back to its base instincts if given the proper incentive..." she noted how his tone became more and more sardonic with every word he uttered. "And what better incentive could have there been other than the object of common worship for millions of such _rational_ animals?"

The scenery beneath her began to shift once again, however, despite the rather shocking scene that welcomed her, she did not seem to be exactly affected and instead simply watched everything unfold without too much concern on her visage.

Hundreds of people armed with with knives, swords, spears and any other objects that could have been used as weapons were rushing from behind those who were kneeling in prayer and began to massacre each an every one of them.

None was spared. Man, woman, child and elder alike. They were all slaughtered, their lifeblood spilt over the verdant grass and the massive roots of the gigantic tree, staining everything crimson.

By the time when the slaughter was over, the newly arrived people had knelt amidst the corpses scattered around every inch of their surroundings and began to pray at the God Tree with increasing fervor themselves.

"This is the true nature of man. A pitiful, belligerent creature that would stop from nothing to sate its greed and lust for what it desires."

She looked away from the scene of massacre below her and gazed at her beloved, feeling that she could begin to understand him at least a little.

"But even in the face of such wretched hopelessness, there had been someone who had decided to stand firmly..." his words quickly roused her curiosity, and remembering another story that he had told her a day prior, she felt that she had an inkling of who it might be the one whom he had spoken of.

What she heard next served to cement her theory.

"Despite the humans possessing no redeeming qualities whatsoever, there had been one person who had wished for their betterment. For them to let go of their destructive ways and to achieve peace and understanding with each other. My mother. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."

She did not have too much time to muse on how she had managed to deduce beforehand what her beloved had just told her, because the world around her began to change once more as soon as she had heard him utter the name of his mother.

#######

As she waited for the next scenery to be revealed to her, Yuno felt her curiosity peak at the prospect of finally seeing the mother of her Naruto, the one whom she knew that he respected and loved dearly.

When the surroundings finally stopped changing, she quickly gave an inspecting glance around herself and she immediately noticed the now familiar sight of the God Tree a few feet away from her.

Not even a moment later, and her eyes finally caught sight of what she had been searching for as they lingered by the monolithic trunk of the Shinju.

And when she finally took in the appearance of her beloved's mother, she could not help but stare in admiration at her beauty.

Her skin was pale and flawless and her features were delicate and of an exquisite pulchritude.

A pair of two brown horns, resembling of rabbit ears, stuck out from her scalp and her sweeping white hair flowed over her back like a satin curtain that touched the grass beneath.

Her eyes were of the same pale color as those of her beloved, with the exception that hers did not seem to have any visible pupil, and her eyebrows, despite missing as well, had in their stead painted an oval symbol.

A red shade of lipstick covered her lips, while dark colored nail polish decorated her long fingernails.

Her attire was perfectly matching her beauty and exuded an air only befitting of nobility with its refined design. A high-collared hime-kimono adorned with intricate gold and purple lines, but also with magatama running running down its center, as well as along the edges of its long sleeves.

Yuno felt a tinge of envy at how beautiful this woman was, but even so, she was unable to refrain herself from acknowledging the presence of such regal beauty.

"She is so beautiful..." she voiced out in a faint voice, unable to deny the woman of exquisite beauty who stood before her eyes.

"That she was..." she heard him agree with her previous remark and she felt another spike of envy. "My mother had been one of the two most beautiful women to ever grace my eyes, the other one being you, my dear."

It took her a few moments to properly register the words of her beloved, but when she did, she felt all of her previous envy vanish as it was instantly consumed by the resurging boundless love that she held for him.

And when faced with her emotions for him set ablaze once again, she did the only thing that she could have done. She immediately turned around to face him and embraced him tightly as she began kissing him with burning passion.

When she finally pulled back from the intense kiss, she gazed at his smiling face with a blush staining her cheeks as she slowly came down from her emotional high.

"Now, now, my dear, we should not get too sidetracked. The tale is still far from being over."

Her cheeks further reddened upon hearing him say that, however, that did not stop her from trying to come with a retort.

"Why, Naruto, are you afraid that you can't handle a little more than this?" she tried her best to sound as sultry as possible while she licked her lips sensually. "Or perhaps you think that if things get too intense, then you won't be able to control yourself and take me right here and now?"

By the time she was finished with what she had thought to be a very good comeback, she was expecting to at least get a visible reaction out of him, however, when she noticed how his smile slowly changed from its previously pleasant aspect to a more mischievous one, she felt a brief chill run down her back.

"Hm, getting witty again, are we?" his tone coupled with the way he brought his arms around her sent another chill down her spine, and she was having some difficulty in telling whether it had been a pleasant or foreboding one.

However, his following words gave her the inkling that it must have been a combination of the two.

"Well, in that case, how about we take a prolonged break from the storytelling and engage in a more..." she saw him lean in closer until his lips were millimeters away from her left ear, moment when she felt his hot breath tingle against her skin as she heard him finish in a husky tone. "... _fulfilling_ activity?"

As his last two words echoed in her mind, she could only think about how spectacularly her previous attempt at teasing him had backfired, since she was certain that by now her entire face was colored a vivid shade of red given how much she felt her cheeks burning.

"Or perhaps you would prefer me to simply continue with the story?"

She immediately nodded at his words, perhaps a bit too fast for her liking, however, she could do nothing in her current situation. Except for maybe resolving to one up him at a later time, because for now, she had been soundly defeated by him at their brief game of wit.

"Well, then in that case let us continue with the tale."

She nodded once again, quickly turning around in his lap as she focused her attention back on the regal looking woman who had never moved an inch from her standing position next to the gigantic tree as though she had been frozen in time.

"As I were saying, the woman possessing delicate features standing next to the Shinju is my mother, Princess Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the former head of the Ōtsutsuki Clan."

As soon as she registered his words, Yuno gave herself a quick mental congratulations for once again managing to guess another thing about the mystery that was her beloved.

This time, however, she refrained from saying anything out loud, as she was still rather flustered after her previously failed attempt at teasing him.

Still, it did not make it any less exciting for her to know that she had actually been correct in her theory regarding her beloved's royal descent.

"My mother had come from a very distant place alongside her people in her search for that very tree" she watched him indicate toward the God Tree as his lips twitched in an amused smile. "And that is precisely why I had stated earlier that your initial assumption regarding my origins has been very close yet at the same time quite far from the truth" her eyes widened in realization as he continued speaking. "Because while I definitely cannot be labeled as an alien according to your world's definitions of that notion, if we are to consider this matter from the perspective of my own world, then that is exactly what I am."

"I see..." she finally spoke as she had managed to regather her composure. "But what of your mother, Naruto? Why had she come seeking the God Tree on this planet?"

"She had come to pluck its fruit" she heard him reply. "The fruit of chakra."

Hearing the unfamiliar term prompted her to quickly raise an eyebrow in questioning and curiosity.

She was not unfamiliar with the word itself, since she had encountered in a book that she had read some time ago, however, just as she had been proved earlier, she knew that it would be quite foolish of her to try to equate something from her world with any of the things that her beloved told her about his own world.

But besides that, what she knew as the definition for chakra in her world definitely did not fit the context in which she had just heard it to be mentioned.

"Chakra...?" she slowly mouthed in questioning, her inquisitive gaze locking with Naruto's own as she turned to look at him once again.

Her answer came a moment later.

"Chakra is what my mother had called the power she had obtained upon consuming the Shinju's fruit."

She listened intently as he continued with his explanation, finding the notion of chakra to be increasingly fascinating the more she learnt about it.

"Chakra is in fact an energy that is produced by the Shinju and concentrated during the span of a millennium into a fruit of unimaginable power."

She glanced briefly in the direction of the monolithic tree, gazing at the whitish glowing fruit as she wondered how could such power be obtained from simply eating what basically amounted to a peach-sized fruit.

Her answer once again came as soon as her beloved explained further.

"As I have said a little while ago, the Shinju had emerged after the blood of countless deceased had been spilt, which in combination with the natural energy that uniformly permeates my universe, had been used as nourishment. The latter had been used more by the tree itself to grow, whereas the former is what had been used in the process of generating chakra."

Her eyes widened in shock when she realized just how powerful that fruit must have been after it had absorbed the power from the millions of people who had fed the tree with their lifeblood during the course of an entire millennium.

"Chakra is created through the combination of two other distinct energies, the spiritual energy, or the energy derived from one's mind's consciousness, and the physical energy, or the energy derived from the body's many cells" she heard him state in a matter-of-fact tone. "Each and every sentient being possesses these two energies, however, under normal circumstances, combining them into chakra is impossible, since for one to do so, they must either consume the fruit of chakra, or be gifted chakra by someone who is knowledgeable enough about its nature."

This new piece of information brought her somewhat closer to understanding the principle of chakra, but she still felt that the gap between her own and her beloved's comprehension of chakra was quite the wide chasm.

Yet, she hoped that by the time he was done telling her his story, her understanding of chakra would be at least closer to his own, since she was sure that if she was able to grasp the concepts of chakra, then she would be much closer to him than ever.

"Now regarding the Shinju and its process of generating chakra, this is where the blood of the deceased had come into play" she noticed his amused smile return as he spoke the next part. "Through the endless spilling of that life-giving substance, it had been possible to concentrate enough of the spiritual and physical energies in order for the Shinju to sprout. And what the sacred tree had done, had been merely amassing these two energies within a fruit over the period of one millennium, using the natural energy as a catalyst in the process of generating chakra."

She glanced once more at the faintly glowing fruit, this time however in wonder as she marveled at the sheer amount of power that she had learnt it contained beneath its exquisite exterior.

"So, upon consuming this fruit, my mother had obtained incredibly powerful chakra, as well as the means to generate an endless amount of it by connecting her internal energies with the aid of said chakra."

A question quickly sprung in her mind as soon as she registered his words.

"Connecting...?" she asked, receiving a reply not even a moment later.

"This is the most basic aspect of chakra, my dear" she heard him respond in a didactic tone which almost made her giggle as she found it to be rather fitting with the image of wisdom that he always seemed to project.

"Chakra is the power to connect. It is capable of using the physical and spiritual energies in order to amplify itself by bringing them together and moulding them with itself."

She truly could not keep the amazement from showing on her face when she understood the implications of what her beloved had just told her. And his following words only further served to cement her realization that chakra was indeed something truly mind boggling, and that was only counting the sheer potential that it possessed.

"And since the natural energy itself had played a crucial role in its creation, chakra is also able to connect to said energy of the universe in order to increase its potency to an even more formidable degree."

Moments later after she heard him say that, her attention was immediately brought back upon the figure of his mother as she noticed her finally move from her seemingly suspended animation.

She watched her reach for the glowing whitish fruit, before she plucked it and removed the bulbous shell which covered it.

She observed how the regal looking woman admired the eerily glowing fruit, before she took a bite out of it.

The expression of pure bliss that instantly showed on the woman's features prompted Yuno to wonder if that fruit had truly tasted that great, however, she had quickly put that thought aside as she noticed something incredible happen as soon as the princess was done consuming the fruit of chakra.

A look of euphoria crossed the pale skinned woman's visage as white wisps of what Yuno had quickly realized to be chakra began to rise off her flawless skin as they dispersed into the atmosphere.

Moments later, the amount of chakra emanating from her body drastically increased, until she was almost completely covered in a white haze.

But probably the most startling thing that Yuno had noticed taking place during this process had been the moment when the skin in the middle of the woman's forehead began to split as it revealed beneath the sight of a blood red eye with concentric circles identical to those of her beloved's eyes, but with the addition of nine of those small magatama-like symbols—tomoe—three of them situated each on the first three rings closest to the dot-like pupil.

Yuno continued to watch in fascination as the white mist of chakra began to slowly disperse, revealing the Ōtsutsuki Princess as she seemed to be still lost in the feelings of delight that the consumption of the fruit had brought her, before the rose haired girl noticed the scenery suddenly freeze once again.

She quickly turned around and looked at her beloved, her eyes shining with wonder and her mouth already partly opened as she was about to voice some of the many questions which had arisen upon her watching of the previous occurring.

"Is chakra normally visible? And can you please tell me about that third eye in the middle of her forehead, since it looks very similar to your own eyes?"

"No, chakra is usually not visible to the naked eye. It only becomes visible when it is released in great quantities, or when viewed through a dōjutsu" she heard him reply. "As for her third eye, that is what is called a dōjutsu, and in my mother's case it had been the very first one, the Rinne Sharingan. My own eyes are the second in the line of dōjutsu, the Rinnegan. The Eyes of Saṃsāra."

She listened with rapt attention to his every word as he continued to explain her even more fascinating concepts pertaining to the nature of chakra.

"Which brings me to another very important aspect of chakra. Its power to alter the very being of the user and awaken unique traits known as _bloodlines_ depending on the type and potency of the chakra itself. But in this case, due to the chakra being obtained directly from the fruit, the effects were the emergence of the very first bloodlines, the kekkei mōra, with one of them being the original dōjutsu itself, the Rinne Sharingan."

She noticed him rise three fingers as he spoke next.

"There are three types of bloodlines, the kekkei mōra, or the bloodline encompassing, whose name speaks for itself as it simply encompasses the whole concept of chakra, the kekkei tōta, which is inferior to the former as it combines only three chakra nature transformations, and lastly, the kekkei genkai, which is the most common, since it requires only two distinct nature transformations, or simply another trait which makes one's chakra slightly more unique than that of the others."

She nodded in response to his words as she processed everything that he had told her so far.

It was just as she had thought earlier. Chakra was an incredibly intricate concept, but she felt herself understand more and more of it with every new piece of information that he gave her.

She was about to ask another thing which had caught her interest among his previous words, however, it seemed that he had anticipated her question as he quickly told her what she would have otherwise inquired for.

"And since I have mentioned the term nature transformation, I will also explain it alongside its counterpart, the shape transformation," she heard him begin and focused even more of her attention on his explanation. "There are two methods of manipulating chakra. One is the shape transformation, through which one can control the form, movement and potency of chakra, and the other is nature transformation, which deals with changing the properties of chakra into an inherent type of chakra with different properties and characteristics. Basically, it changes the chakra into a specific type of chakra related to an element, with the primary five being fire, wind, lightning, water and earth. But apart from these five elemental nature transformations, there are also the Yin and Yang nature transformations, which deal with altering the balance between the spiritual and physical energies in chakra. These two nature transformations can be used either separately, which is rather common and does not require any unique prowess, or together in order to perform the Yin-Yang release, something which cannot be truly achieved by those who had not been touched by the power of the chakra fruit."

Yuno took a few moments to properly absorb what she had just been told.

It was all truly fascinating, especially the part when he had spoken about that Yin-Yang nature transformation, since it had reminded her of a concept from her world—the onmyōdō—which shared some similarities with it in terms of the elements that he had mentioned.

"And with that being said, I believe I have covered everything necessary for us to be able to move onto the next part of the tale."

She quickly glanced at him, the forming of another question evident on her features as she registered his words, however, she refrained herself from saying anything, because she noticed that he was about to elaborate further.

"I know that I have yet to say anything pertaining to the feats which can be achieved through the usage of chakra, however, I believe that it would be definitely better for you to simply witness them along the course of the story."

Hearing this, she decided to drop her question, since it was obvious that it would be answered at some point in the very near future, just as she had assumed that it would, given the excited smile that had appeared on his face as he had spoken earlier.

"However, before I continue, there is one last thing which I must mention in advance regarding to this very topic" her attention was instantly brought back to its previous highest as soon as she heard him add that.

"Chakra does not conform to the laws of nature as you might know them. It does not obey such trivial limitations. Instead, it dominates them, it subjugates them and then it utterly crushes them" her eyes widened at that. "Because, after all, chakra in its purest form is simply absolute power. Power that dictates how everything else operates."

Her beloved's words were immediately followed by another shifting of the surroundings as he continued with his tale once again, leaving her a few moments to contemplate about the things that she had just learnt until the scenery was finished with its transition.

#######

The scenery which welcomed Yuno as soon as the world had settled from its change quickly left her speechless as she could do nothing but stare in awe at what began playing before her eyes.

The mother of her beloved was standing on a small hill, surrounded on all sides by tall and mighty mountains, gazing into the distance with an unreadable expression on her regal features.

A moment later, she slowly spread her arms open as if attempting to embrace the very landscape around her, and Yuno could only look with widened eyes, another gasp leaving her lips as her breath was once more caught in her throat at what she came to witness.

In mere seconds the skies darkened until day turned into night, and countless arcs of lightning started dancing across the clouded heavens.

The bright arcs rapidly grew in intensity, until the sky was once again illuminated, before they all descended in a flash upon the earth as they mercilessly struck everything in the surroundings of the princess.

Chunks of rock flew in every direction as the mountains were quickly obliterated into fine dust.

Entire forests were charred black by the intense heat as they ignited in a great conflagration upon being touched by the many bolts of lightning striking at the soil.

The very earth was left scarred under the might of the woman as it could do nothing when faced with such overwhelming power.

Yuno continued to watch in silent awe as the pale skinned woman effortlessly called upon countless streaks of lighting and thundering booms, until everything as far as her eyes could see was reduced to naught but ash.

She quickly remembered the previous words of her Naruto and it did not take her very long to realize just how terrifying and at the same time magnificent this power was.

She now understood why he had spoken about it in the way he had done.

To enable someone to perform such unimaginable feats as commanding the very nature to do ones bidding... it truly made this power godly in her eyes.

"What you have witnessed right now had been one of the stories told by my mother to me and my brother about her time after she had obtained her powerful chakra."

She turned away from the still ongoing display of sheer destruction and gazed at the face of her beloved, noting the reminiscing look on his features as he spoke.

"At that time she had wondered about the incredible power she had obtained from consuming that fruit and had decided to test it and see its extent" she saw him point at the image of his mother standing amidst the obliterated mountains as he added. "And this occurrence had been only a mere drop of what she had soon come to learn of her power."

Another gasp left her mouth as soon as her mind had registered his words.

Just a mere drop?! It was so inconceivable that she would have immediately dismissed it as ludicrous had it not been her beloved who had actually told her of it.

Which was why she felt simply overwhelmed at the fact that such sheer power existed and that her beloved most likely was also capable of commanding it to a similar extent.

She idly wondered about how strong he actually was, however, that thought quickly left her mind when she noticed something even more incredible and awe-inspiring than before take place before her very eyes.

She watched as the princess with sweeping white hair slowly brought a hand in front of her face in a fluid and elegant motion, before she curled her last two fingers and straightened the first three as she performed a hand sign that reminded Yuno of the mudras of her world.

Not even a moment after the woman had formed that hand sign, and Yuno watched in stunned silence how the destroyed lands surrounding the princess _changed_ as they seemed to mend themselves back to their former pristine appearance.

The grass and trees grew anew, looking even more vibrant than before.

The obliterated mountains rose from mere rubble and the multitude of craters gouged in the soil by the ferocious lightning filled themselves back.

It was simply unbelievable with how much ease this woman undid all of the destruction that she had brought upon the land not even minutes before, and Yuno could do nothing but marvel at the sight of such unmatched ability.

"Creation and destruction. Two concepts that can both be achieved through chakra. One as easiest as the other, since there is absolutely _nothing_ in all of creation which this divine power cannot command and rule above."

His words sent shivers down her back as she began to realize the true extent of this power called chakra. It might have sounded mind-boggling that an energy capable of lording over all of creation existed, however, after everything she had heard and seen so far, she simply could not believe otherwise.

Chakra was exactly as her beloved had said before. It was absolute. And she now clearly understood that there would be many more instances during his tale which would leave her in awed speechlessness at the unbelievable feats this power was capable of achieving.

Her brief musings were brought to an end when she noticed the scenery change yet again as it made way for the next part of her beloved's story to be spun.

#######

The sight that next met Yuno's eyes was not as awing as the former, but it was still inspiring enough wonder in order to be considered impressive.

The Ōtsutsuki princess was standing in front of the God Tree, her posture as regal and elegant as ever as she was surrounded on all sides by people of all ages and genders, whose hopeful eyes were staring at her in reverence.

They were numbering in the tens of thousands and they were all kneeling before the all-powerful woman as they praised and thanked her from the bottoms of their hearts.

The image of deep worship and reverence was very powerful as it displayed a complete and utter devotion of the people for the woman standing before them, a sentiment which had been born from the happiness filling their hearts in the wake of her noble deeds.

Yuno's attention was brought back to her beloved when she heard him suddenly speak.

"This gathering had taken place only a little while before the birth of me and my brother."

She nodded silently as she listened to him continue with his tale.

"After my mother had become aware of the extent of her power, she had decided to put an end to any and all of the wars plaguing the lands at that time and thus, she had used her chakra to bring peace and harmony to the humans, despite the fact that they had not been worthy of being granted such succor."

She noticed a frown mar his beautiful visage as he had said that and she felt that the story was about to be getting darker rather soon.

She suspected that it must have had something to do with the way humanity had acted, however, she wasn't exactly sure what it had been, so she decided to wait until her beloved finally reached that point in his story.

"Yet, my mother had seen the better in them. She had sympathized with their suffering and had decided to help them leave behind their bloodthirsty and belligerent ways. She had longed for peace in a world stained crimson by the presence of death and suffering and she had achieved the peace that she had yearned for" she noticed a brief smile form on his lips as he said the next part, however, it had vanished by the time he had reached the end of the phrase. "And by doing so she had become a figure of worship for mankind, the benevolent Rabbit Goddess, the one who had brought an end to the constant strife of humanity."

As soon as her beloved was done speaking, she once again saw her surroundings shift in preparation for the next chapter of his story.

#######

Yuno looked with a smile on her face at the newest scenery which depicted Princess Kaguya as she was sat in a seiza position before her two newly born children, gazing at them with a loving expression.

"After ushering an era of peace, my mother and her people had settled down on the lands of this world and eventually she had given birth to two children, one of which had been me."

Yuno noticed how her beloved's mother leant in and gave each baby a tender kiss on their forehead, before she returned to her previous watching of their tiny sleeping forms.

The image quickly blurred away and was replaced by one showing the regal looking woman as she played with the two children, who were already a few years older.

Moments later, that scene vanished as well and was followed by several others which depicted various other instances of the woman raising and teaching her two sons.

She idly observed that her beloved had looked slightly different in these recollections than how he actually looked in the present and that quickly got the gears inside her head spinning.

His current appearance suggested that he was around the age of twenty, yet his actual appearance at that age looked quite different.

She was aware that his current appearance could be easily explained through the effects of chakra somehow, however, she wondered if it wasn't more than that.

Then, there was also the fact that she did not know his actual age. Or the fact that his name seemed to have been different at that time, because his mother had called him by the name of Hagoromo in every instance.

Briefly shaking her head, she decided to leave these matters for him to reveal through his story, so she returned her complete attention back on him.

"She had raised us with great love and care and had taught us about the many intricacies of life as she kept her watch over mankind and the peace that she had created for them."

Yuno listened closely to his words as she observed the scenes playing before her eyes, but as the scenes played by, she noticed something rather curious.

The Ōtsutsuki princess seemed to become more and more disappointed and displeased within each instance, prompting Yuno to realize that the foreboding feeling she had experienced earlier was turning out to be very much true.

She wondered about what it might have been that which had caused the woman to slowly change in such a manner, and she quickly got her answer when she heard her beloved speak once more.

"As you have certainly noticed, at some point during the second decade of my and my brother's lives, our mother had begun to change" he let out a soft sigh. "At that time we had not known the reasons for those sudden changes in her personality and beliefs, however, with time... we began to understand..."

Her surroundings froze again, and she turned to look at the young man as she focused her attention even more on what he continued to tell her.

"The first change we had noticed about her had been her distancing from the humans as she began to demand their devotion and obedience. And that behavior had eventually reached the stage where she had begun to rule over them akin to a tyrant."

Yuno noticed the same frown as before return on her beloved's face as he spoke.

"The second change had become apparent during one of the times when she had been teaching us about the powerful chakra we had inherited from her. At that time, we had noticed a tinge of envy in her eyes as she looked at us, which had only grown stronger over the time."

This made her curious, because she could not think of any reason for why her Naruto's mother would be envious of her children possessing the same chakra as her.

"In the end, me and my brother had agreed that it must have been her immense power which had managed to corrupt her into acting as such, for we had not been able to see any other reasons to her changes. We had been blind at that time, something that we had only realized after a long time..."

She felt a pang in her chest when she registered the note of sadness in his voice as he spoke further.

"We had come to be too trusting of humanity and that had made us blind to what was laid before our very eyes. Our love and care for humanity had made us unable to see the simple fact that the humans were unable to overcome their animalistic nature without a strong enough force compelling them into doing so."

Hearing that, she did not think twice and instantly embraced her beloved in a tight hug.

"Don't say that, Naruto" she said in a soft tone. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known of those things at that time..."

She kept him close to herself for a few moments, before she slowly leant back as she gazed in his violet eyes.

"Yuno" she heard his gentle voice and felt his warm touch as he placed his right hand over her own. "Thank you for trying to comfort me, but you need to understand that I have no excuses for not being able to see what should have been obvious to me at that time."

She noticed how his frown faded as it was replaced by a faint smile.

"There is no denying that I had been very foolish and naïve at that time, however, you can take solace in the fact that I had long overcome those plagues in my life. It is just that they still bring me forth a tinge of melancholy whenever I reminisce them."

She spent a few moments thinking about his words, before she finally gave a nod.

"Okay..." she replied, not sounding too thrilled about it, however, she was happy enough that she had managed to make him feel better.

A moment later, she heard him continue from where he had left off earlier.

"So, as I was saying, me an my brother had yet to realize at that time that it had been this very thing which had prompted our mother to act in such a manner after she had witnessed how futile her previous attempts at bringing peace had been, since as much as she might have tried, her initial benevolence would have never been enough to prevent the true nature of humans from resurfacing."

As she listened to that, Yuno realized that from this point onwards, her beloved's story would be getting definitely darker, given the way things seemed to be heading.

"The peace that my mother had brought mankind did not last for long, as they had willingly ignited the conflict amongst themselves anew mere decades after they had been convinced to bury the hatchet of war."

She noticed the world around her shimmer once again as he spoke his next words, so she faced away from him as she stared at her shifting surroundings in awaiting for the next chapter of his tale.

"Humanity had utterly disappointed my mother. And by doing so, they had pushed her to take the first step on the road which had eventually led toward her descent into madness..."

#######

His previous words had prompted Yuno to widen her eyes in surprise, and now that she saw the rather ominous scenery the world had changed into, she understood that the actions of mankind had definitely had dire consequences on the mother of her beloved.

Everywhere she looked around herself, there were people standing like statues, with their eyes the same ringed violet as her beloved's, and in the distance, there stood the Ōtsutsuki princess, staring at their unmoving forms with an appraising gaze and her lips curled in a pleased smile.

"What you see now is the first time when my mother had used her combined ocular powers in order to cast the most powerful illusory technique in existence. The Infinite Tsukuyomi, a technique of such might that it creates an eternal world of dreams from which no one can escape, unless freed by the one who had trapped them within it."

As soon as she registered his words, Yuno was once again left awed at the power of chakra and the things capable of being achieved through its usage.

"Wow..." she muttered in amazement, her eyes sweeping over the sight of the thousands upon thousands of unmoving people. "But what had she achieved by doing this?" she added in curiosity.

Her question earned her a chuckle from Naruto.

"I was just getting there" he quickly replied with a smile. "But to answer your question, she had achieved nothing besides obtaining more unnecessary power for herself by trapping more than half of the world inside her ultimate illusion."

She looked at him with her eyes glimmering in curiosity.

"I am not certain about her reasoning for doing this" he began. "Perhaps she had wanted to directly control mankind in order to make sure they did not stray away from her will. Perhaps she had wished to try once more to bring peace, but with a more radical approach. Perhaps she had been too lost in her madness to think clearly. Or perhaps she had just wanted to punish mankind for their actions. I do not know her exact reasoning, however, what I know is that she had not achieved anything too extravagant by using the Infinite Tsukuyomi on humanity."

Her questioning look did not falter as he took a brief pause to collect his thoughts.

"The Infinite Tsukuyomi is by its very nature a tool of domination and subjugation, since it traps the victim inside a dream world tailored to perfectly suit their deepest desires. Essentially, it gives one what they yearn most for. But in exchange for that, it takes everything away from them. Their personalities, their defining features, their spiritual and physical energies and their chakra if they possess any. It drains away all of these, leaving behind only mere hollow husks."

She heard him chuckle in amusement.

"It is not a very profitable exchange if you are curious about my opinion on this matter. For the victim, that is."

Another chuckle left his smiling lips.

"But I digress, my dear."

"I see..." Yuno muttered as she pondered on what she had just been told.

"Now, returning to the story. After my mother had trapped most of humanity inside her genjutsu, she had done exactly what I had told you earlier and thus, she had essentially began to convert everyone into her little minions, an army of obedient half plant soldiers known as White Zetsu."

She gave another small nod, prompting him to continue.

"Once again, I can only guess her motives for doing this, since by that time, she had been deeply consumed by her madness, so much that there had no longer been possible for us to reason with her..."

She noticed the same sadness as earlier seep into his tone as his features morphed into a frown, so she tenderly squeezed his hand that she was still holding onto.

This seemed to have the intended effect as she quickly saw his expression soften and his voice return to its previous calmness.

"So, the foolish us from that time had been left with only one option... to try and stop her. However, by the time when we had been ready to confront her, we were unable to find her anymore as she had somehow vanished from the face of the world without leaving behind any trace."

Her eyes were filled with curiosity once again as she listened to his words.

"At that time we had not known what had happened and we had not been able to contemplate upon the situation too much either, for an even more dire situation had quickly befallen us. And exactly due to its urgency and suddenness, we had been unable to properly analyze and consider everything, as we had been forced to confront it at once."

She quickly realized from his serious tone that what he was about to say next would be of a great importance.

"The Shinju had disappeared from its sacred place of origins. It had morphed into a terrifying entity of godlike power, a harbinger of death and destruction which we had called the Jūbi due to its unique appearance."

Her eyes widened upon hearing those words and she felt a cold shiver run down her back at how foreboding they had sounded.

"At that time we had believed that the Ten-Tails had been the physical incarnation of the God Tree, which had frenzied and had gone on a rampage in order to reclaim the chakra fruit that had been taken from it."

This made her wonder once again about the strength of her beloved, because in order for him to oppose the God Tree alongside his brother, they must have possessed an incredible might.

"That theory we had come up on the battlefield had fit the circumstances at that time, because we had correlated it with the disappearance of our mother. We had presumed that the Sacred Tree had reached her before us and had consumed her along with her chakra."

The wry smile that she noticed forming on his face as he spoke his next words filled her with both excitement and anticipation, but also made her even more curious about the truth behind all of this occurrence.

"However, at that time we couldn't have been more wrong with our assumptions..."

Moments later, her surroundings began to change yet again as she waited for the story to continue.

#######

However, when her eyes finally registered the sight that welcomed her after the world had settled from its previous change, Yuno was filled with dread and her instincts caused her to move closer to her beloved's chest in an attempt to distance herself from the _thing_ , which despite being at least a mile away, it felt as if she was being stared down by it from mere inches apart.

She could not find the words to describe the horrifying creature that she was currently looking at.

Eldritch abomination was the closest description that she could come up with for the beast whose height was so towering that even the tallest of mountains reached only a little past its ankles.

She found herself slightly shaking as she continued to stare at the ringed blood red eye of the beast, her mind trying to get used to the terrifying sight of what she had remembered her beloved to have referred to as being beyond even destruction incarnate.

The monstrous creature's skin was as black as midnight and had a lustrous shine to it.

Its body was a fearsome sight, with muscular arms and legs that looked as though they could easily crush mountains into sand, and with ten gigantic tails swishing wildly from its back in something akin to a dance of death.

And yet, the thing that terrified her most about the beast was its face.

The ringed crimson eye with nine tomoe that seemed to be staring right through her soul.

The spiked protrusions which rose from most of its visage.

And lastly, the razor sharp teeth which were arranged in a wicked, foreboding grin that made her feel as if she was being stared at by something which was beyond even death.

She did not fear death, or what she thought that came with it. She had stared death once in the face and had smiled at it.

But this... _thing_... this incarnation of death and destruction... it terrified her.

And it was only the fact that she felt the comforting arms of her beloved wrapped around her trembling form that she was able to keep herself together and continue staring the creature in its eye without having despair fill her being.

"Be at ease, Yuno" she heard his soft voice whisper in her ear. "Everything is alright. That creature is long gone."

She visibly calmed down and felt most of her previous fright leave her as she listened to his soothing words.

The beast might have been beyond terrifying, but her beloved's voice had given her enough strength to overcome her fear.

However, now that her mind was getting clearer, she couldn't help but feel awe at the thought that her Naruto had faced this monstrosity in battle and had emerged victorious.

And following that thought, she finally noticed the two distinct figures standing undaunted on two large rocks at the feet of the creature as they looked ready to battle against it.

One of them she had immediately recognized as her beloved, despite his several different features, such as the shorter hair, its different color and stylization, as well as the small goatee.

And the other was the brother of her Naruto, a young man who resembled his mother quite closely in his more feminine appearance and long hair.

Both of them were clothed in priestly looking garments and were armed with a sword, as well as with a pitch black staff which seemed to absorb the light itself.

"The Jūbi could easily end grown men with a mere glance, yet you stood before its glare and only shivered" she heard him say in a proud tone, feeling her inner strength grow tenfold at the praise. "And I am certain that had you been actually trained in the mind arts as I and my brother had been, then you would have definitely stared it down in the same manner as we had done."

Despite feeling overjoyed at hearing that, Yuno did not look away from the gigantic beast and the two brothers who were staring it down unflinchingly. Her beloved's words had empowered her and she no longer felt any dread at the sight of its daunting form.

"Your strength of will is marvelous, Yuno" she heard him whisper in her ear once more and felt another surge of happiness wash over her.

Moments later, her undivided attention was brought back to the scene taking place in front of her as she noticed the monolithic creature finally make its first move.

The beast brought down all of its ten massive tails with a force that could easily shatter mountains, its intent obviously being to turn the two brothers standing before it into smears on the surface of the earth.

Yuno watched with baited breath as the enormous appendages were rapidly approaching the two young men's positions, before her eyes widened and a gasp left her mouth when she saw how all of the tails suddenly froze mere inches away from making contact with their target.

It was akin to an invisible force opposing their crushing advance, and she was unable to keep the look of awe from her face when she noticed the younger self of her beloved slowly raise his right arm as he made the world around him shake and tremble under the pressure of the same invisible force.

Then, she heard him utter two words. Words which she thought they carried within the power to tear asunder the world, just as their meaning seemed to imply.

Not even a split second later, and she watched in silent shock how the earth creaked and shattered as an unstoppable force exploded outwards in a circular wave that swept away everything in the young man's surroundings.

The massive tails of the Jūbi were effortlessly repelled and were sent flailing through the air, until the beast brought them back behind itself as it released a piercing roar.

"Shinra Tensei..." Yuno muttered breathlessly as she repeated the two words she had just heard echo in the distance, her eyes still fixated on the enraged form of the beast and the two brothers who had yet to move from their place.

"An apt name for such a power, no?" she heard Naruto say and she could only nod in response. "That was a technique belonging to the **Deva Path** , one of the seven aspects of the Rinnegan" she heard him elaborate. "It grants absolute control over forces of attraction or repulsion, such as gravity for example."

She absorbed each and every of his words, once again marveling at the mind-boggling power that her beloved held through his chakra.

She had understood from earlier that his eyes must have possessed unfathomable power, however, she had not imagined that it would be so great.

The power to move anything and everything in the world at ones whim... and that being just one of them. There were six others which she had no idea of, yet she knew that they must be as astonishing as what she had witnessed only seconds ago.

Her attention was brought back to the incipient fight taking place in the distance when she noticed the gigantic eldritch abomination suddenly move with a speed and grace that completely belied its titanic size as it attempted to flatten the duo standing before it in defiance.

Once again, she watched how one of the enormous feet of the beast descended rapidly upon the two brothers, and astonishment filled her when she noticed them simply vanish from sight in a blur to her eyes, mere split seconds before the impact.

She took a few moments to just marvel at the raw display of speed as she realized that she would not be able to witness too much of their fight while they moved at speeds many times faster than what her eyes could hope to follow.

Most of what followed next were even more instances where the two young men displayed incredible feats of speed and strength as they engaged the monolithic creature toe to toe in battle, with a few moments when they would resort to using chakra in manners which left her amazed at the sight.

She continued to watch the intense fight in silence for several more minutes, before she once again noticed something of an awing nature coming from the younger manifestation of her beloved.

She saw him manifest a fist sized orb made out of a black substance, which almost instantly shaped itself into a gigantic arm, before it shot toward the beast.

The enormous pitch black hand took hold of the Jūbi's head in its grip, before it pulled back with incredible force as it smashed the beast headfirst through a nearby mountain, momentarily confusing it and giving the younger brother an opening to launch an attack of his own.

However, Yuno was no longer paying too much attention to the ongoing battle, as her mind was much too busy with replaying the scene she had previously witnessed.

She had seen how during its unstoppable advance, the ebony hand had cleared a perfect path through the forest where it had travelled through, leaving in its wake not even a mere speck of dust.

It was like anything that had touched it had simply vanished. And that was something which left her completely stunned as she realized that her beloved had not exaggerated when he had said that chakra simply redefined any and all of the world's laws to suit its whim.

But curiously enough, when the hand had made contact with the Ten-Tails' head, it had not exhibited any of its previous properties, an observation which prompted her to quickly address her beloved in questioning.

"Naruto" she voiced as she turned to face him. "What has that black orb been, and why had it not also obliterated the Jūbi's head just as it had done to everything else which had come into contact with it?"

She saw him smile at her inquiry, before she heard his slightly amused voice as he replied.

"That pitch black orb of malleable chakra is called a **gudōdama** and it is the pinnacle of chakra nature transformation."

Her eyes shined in curiosity and excitement as she continued to listen to his words.

"It is a technique achieved through the simultaneous combination of all five basic nature transformations, which can be further empowered by the applying of yin-yang release" she heard him explain. "Beyond that, one could bring the technique to an even higher level by directly infusing the created truth-seeking orbs with their raw chakra."

But as she listened, she began to slowly realize that this technique was something akin to cheating, because from what she had seen so far, those fist-sized black balls ignored the laws of physics as if they did not even exist.

"In the first case, the orbs are capable of reducing all matter and energy they come into contact with, to nothingness, the sole exceptions being their user and chakra itself, which can touch them without being obliterated."

This newest tidbit of information served to only further strengthen her previous realization, and she began to wonder just how much more ridiculous those orbs would get after actually being empowered.

"Upon being empowered through yin-yang release, however, they gain the ability to nullify anything which they come into contact with, be they of spiritual or physical nature. The exceptions this time are the user himself, who can freely touch the orbs, and senjutsu chakra, which can make contact with the orbs without being reduced to nothingness."

This time her eyes widened once more in shock as his words had completely shattered whatever theories she might have begun to conjure about the truth-seeking orbs' power.

And since the second stage of empowerment had already sounded so preposterous, she actually dreaded to think about what would happen if they were to be empowered even further.

"As for the last level of empowerment..." she noticed him smile again, but this time it was much wider as he seemed to feel greatly amused at what he was about to say next. "Well, at that point, depending on the amount and potency of the infused chakra, the gudōdama can become capable of slicing through higher planes of existence or through other dimensions" she heard a chuckle escape his lips. "Which is a bit over the top and most of the times unnecessary, for anything which does not possess a chakra of the same potency and quality as the user, is already long dead just from coming into contact with a gudōdama of the second stage of empowerment."

It took Yuno several moments to properly process what she had just heard, and when she did, she felt rather torn, because she was not sure whether she should be awed at that piece of information, or if she should just give up on trying to comprehend the subject of the truth-seeking orbs and instead urge her beloved to continue with his story.

The fact that those black balls of death could actually be heightened to a level where they would become capable of cutting through worlds made her realize that the first prerequisite to discussing about them was to gently grab your concept of logic and then throw it a few miles out the window.

In the end, she decided to go with the former, because as much as she might have wanted to shove away everything related to those black balls of doom inside a small box in a corner of her mind, she could not deny the simple fact that the feats which could be achieved through their usage were indeed astounding.

"Wow..." Yuno muttered. "That's beyond even the concept of cheating..."

"Well, these gudōdama might be the ultimate cheating tool, but the amusement that one can derive from observing the reactions of those who witness their power is always quite the priceless thing."

Hearing his words, Yuno couldn't help but let out a giggle, since it was obvious to her that not even her beloved was taking the matter of his truth-seeking orbs seriously.

And she perfectly agreed with him, because instead of trying to make sense of something which clearly seemed to work on imagination and fantasy rules alone, it was infinitely better to just sit back and enjoy the show that you could create by simply using said something without thinking too much about it.

"Now, regarding the outcome of the battle," she noticed him indicate toward the still ongoing fight between his younger self, his brother and the monstrous creature. "It had ended after many days of constant fighting, with me and my brother completely exhausted yet victorious."

This did not surprise her too much, because she felt that she had a general idea about how strong the Jūbi must have been, so it made sense that it would take them a while to defeat it, with the battle also not being exactly an easy one.

Moments later, her attention was brought back to her surroundings when she noticed them start to rapidly change as her beloved's mental world was once more adjusted for another chapter of his tale.

#######

When Yuno registered her new surroundings, she was once again filled with amazement at the sight.

The previously ferocious and enraged Jūbi was now visibly more subdued as it struggled to no avail against the countless ethereal chains of violet color keeping it bound and restricting most of its movements.

She watched with fascinated eyes how the battered forms of the two brothers slowly advanced toward the form of the futilely struggling beast, their steps graceful and filled with purpose, despite the exhaustion which was clearly reflected on their tired visages.

"After our defeat of the Jūbi, we realized that we could never truly stop it unless we actually sealed it" she heard her beloved suddenly speak. "Its power was unfathomable, and the sole way to contain it was to seal the beast inside myself, where it would be kept restrained by my chakra and the power of my dōjutsu."

Her eyes widened in shock and an almost disbelieving look crossed her features the moment she heard his words.

Naruto had kept that creature of pure destruction within himself?

She shuddered at the thought, but at the same time she marveled at the strength of will that he must have possessed in order to be capable of subjugating what was in essence a primordial god of destruction.

Ending her musings for the time being, Yuno brought her attention back to the scene playing out in the distance.

The brothers had just reached the downed figure of the beast, and she watched in curiosity how they each raised their hands, the older one his right and the younger one his left, revealing that they had a symbol present on their palms, a bright sun on the older's one and a dark crescent moon on the younger's one.

She was about to ask her beloved about those two tattoos, however, she received her answer before she could have even opened her mouth to ask.

It seemed that he had anticipated her question, because he had begun to explain as soon as he had noticed her inquisitive glance when she had turned around to look at him.

"Those marks represent the two sides of the unique power which I had been born with" she heard him say. "The crescent moon symbolizes the Yin aspect of my chakra, whereas the sun symbolizes the Yang aspect of it. And their purpose is more figurative than anything else, for their presence simply states that their bearer is capable of manipulating the chakra concepts of the Yin and the Yang to their utmost level, be them in an individual form or a combined one."

Yuno absorbed each and every word of his explanation as he continued to speak.

"But in this case, the sun and moon marks are related to the technique that me and my brother had used to weaken the Jūbi so that we could thereafter seal it within me. And the reason for why the moon mark is with my brother, is because at that time I had not been able to perform the sealing technique on my own, since I had yet to master it. So, I had needed his help in utilizing it properly."

Noticing him indicating toward the ongoing scene in the distance, she glanced back at the two brothers standing in front of the defiant beast and watched as they simultaneously placed their previously raised hands on its pitch black flesh.

Not even a split second later, she heard their resounding voices as they spoke the name of their technique at the same time.

' _Rikudō — Chibaku Tensei...'_

Yuno repeated that name once in her mind as she watched the scene playing before her eyes in awe.

Immediately after the brothers had uttered the name of the technique, the world... changed.

Only the duo and the beast remained, yet they were no longer standing on grassy soil, but floating in front of a watery image that she could best describe as a gigantic intimidating version of her beloved's reflection, the one that she had seen on the surface of that ocean after she had been brought inside his mind.

However, despite the similitudes, there were still many differences which made the current sight not so comparable to what she had seen at that time.

This manifestation of her beloved was titanic in size, being as humongous, if not even more so than the Jūbi itself.

His hair was the same white but was longer and stylized differently, with strands framing his pale, stern-looking face and flowing down his shoulders and back.

He wore a headwear which seemed to be ablaze in whitish flames, a silvery choker of sorts and the familiar looking white ceremonial robe with long sleeves.

His hands were raised at shoulder level with the palms facing outward obliquely as they displayed the symbols of the sun and moon, and his visage was set in an expression that made her feel as though she was being judged by merely staring at it.

A split second later, and the hands were clasped together behind the snarling head of the Ten-Tails, signifying the activation of the seal.

Yuno quickly looked away from the pair of glowing white voids that were the gigantic manifestation's eyes, which seemed to be piercing right through her, and glanced at the scenery depicted behind him.

The half of the world to his left consisted of a dark, gigantic crescent moon surrounded by an endless sky of clouds, whereas the world to his right depicted a blazing sun of the same size surrounded by what she assumed to be a representation of its countless rays of light.

The light radiating from both halves was bathing the praying figure in its color, giving him an even more ethereal aspect as he loomed over the unmoving form of the Jūbi.

"This sealing technique is capable of completely binding those upon whom it is used by immobilizing them and removing their ability to use whatever power they might be possessing" she heard him speak and turned around to face him once more. "In essence, it can turn gods into ants and encase them in stone for eternity, since only someone with the genuine power of the Rinnegan can unravel the seal."

As soon as she registered his words, Yuno decided that she would be filing this newest information away in the same place where she had previously put the information about those truth-seeking orbs.

The sheer power this technique seemed to have was bordering on the ridiculous, given how it was capable of altering reality to execute this sealing process that her beloved had just spoken of.

"Its only drawback is that it requires physical contact to be made in order to initiate the technique, as well as the presence of both the Yin and the Yang powers, either together in the same host, or in separate ones, situation when they have to be used simultaneously."

Yuno took a few moments to ponder on his words as she took a glance at the smile playing on his lips, before she spoke in a flat tone.

"I really can't see how any of that might be a drawback when the one executing the technique is for all intents and purposes a godlike being himself..."

She kept staring at his smiling face, and when she heard him chuckle in response to her words, she felt a strong feeling of déjà-vu hit her.

"You are indeed correct, my dear" she listened to him say in an amused tone. "But you have to keep in mind that this technique is reserved only for special situations. After all, using it on any entities below at least the power of a god would be disgraceful, not to mention a waste of my power. I am certain that you can see where I am coming from with this, since even in your world, there is no one who ever tries to trap an ant inside a lead coffin. Not when they can do it just fine by simply using a small, glass jar."

Yuno blinked once, then twice, then thrice, before she eventually realized that she did not have anything to say in reply to what she had just heard.

There was simply nothing that she could say when he spoke about his power in such a manner.

Seriously, it was like he didn't care at all that he possessed such overwhelming power, and instead he seemed to care more about the proper manner in which he should use it.

Of course, with the added note that in this case 'proper' held a completely subjective meaning known most likely only to him.

So, after several moments of _thorough_ contemplation on the matter, she decided to file away everything related to this wondrous technique right next to the information about those black balls of doom.

Then, she nodded in acknowledgement at his earlier spoken words and faced away from him as she returned to watching the ongoing events of the sealing.

As soon as the image depicting that gigantic version of her beloved had faded thus returning the world to its previous state, Yuno heard a deafening shriek come from the beast, before it stopped struggling and went still as its crimson ringed eye was covered by an opaque membrane of sorts.

Moments later after that, she felt the world begin to shake as the Jūbi started to levitate, with huge chunks breaking off from the earth as they were rapidly being drawn to the monolithic form of the creature.

Then, she saw the older brother bring his hands together and form another one of those hand signs, followed by him extending his left hand toward the slowly forming satellite above himself.

The purple ethereal chains that hung around the still growing moon flew in his direction and latched onto his palm, before he formed another hand sign with his other hand.

The incredibly strong gravity surrounding the floating rock-encased form of the Jūbi instantly disappeared, and the chunks of earth covering it started to fall back to the ground one after the other, until the sight of the monstrous creature was revealed once again.

She quickly noted how the Ten-Tails was completely unresponsive as it seemed to be slumbering, but she did not have too much time to admire its much less terrifying figure, for it began to be dragged by those chains bound to it toward the young man.

When it reached his position, Yuno watched in fascination how the gigantic creature was rapidly getting absorbed inside the older brother who now had his hands forming another one of those signs.

After the entirety of the beast was absorbed, Yuno noticed how his previously taupe colored hair was now the same white that she had seen in that reflection, as well as on her beloved whenever she looked at him.

However, she raised an eyebrow in questioning when she noticed the world suddenly freeze, and would have said something had Naruto not quickly spoken in clarification.

"At that time, after the sealing had been completed, we had not known anything related to the true origins of the Jūbi. But we had not cared that much about it either, for we had been glad to have defeated the beast, thus preventing it from ending the entire world. So, we had continued to assume that it had been the Shinju itself seeking to reclaim its fruit of chakra."

She glanced back at him and noticed the serious expression forming on his visage.

"That had been a grave mistake on our part."

Hearing that, she gave him a questioning look.

"You see, the truth is that the Jūbi had been none other than our mother..."

An audible gasp left her mouth as she registered his words. She had truly not been expecting such a twist.

"The reasons are still unclear to me, however, what I know is that she had merged with the Shinju, thus resulting in the entity known as the Ten-Tails which held her will, that of reclaiming what she had considered to be her chakra from us."

Once again, Yuno felt a pain in her chest when she noticed the same saddened expression cross her beloved's visage, just as it had happened before when he had spoken about how he had failed to see the true nature of humanity for what it was.

"So, not knowing any of this, me and my brother had fought our mother and then sealed her. But before the sealing could have been completed, she had managed to create a failsafe with the last of her remaining power, something which once again we had failed to take notice of."

Following his extended hand, she glanced back at the scenery which now became unfrozen, and noticed that he had been pointing at a mass of black sludge which was dripping from one of the chunks of rocks that had fallen from the sky.

"That is the physical manifestation of my mother's will, also known as Black Zetsu" she heard him elaborate as she continued to look at the mass of black goo which began to coalesce into a humanoid-like form with yellow eyes and a jagged grin. "It had been a truly annoying entity, as it had meddled in a lot of things for the simple purpose of one day resurrecting its creator."

Yuno frowned upon hearing him say that. "What happened to it?" she asked.

"I have dealt with it some time ago."

She instantly felt better upon hearing his reply, knowing that the thorn in her beloved's side had been removed.

"Good riddance" she spoke with thinly veiled contempt, eliciting a chuckle from him.

"Indeed."

Moments later, she heard him continue with his previous explanation.

"So, as I was saying, at that time we had assumed that everything had been over with our defeat and subsequent sealing of the Jūbi. But in truth, that Black Zetsu creature had begun to work in the shadows as it advanced its plan regarding my mother's revival."

She listened to his words with utmost attention.

"Following the sealing, me and my brother had parted ways when I had asked of him to become the new head of our clan in the place of our mother, because I had intended to begin a journey across the world."

She didn't have to wait more than a moment for him to continue with the explanation, because she was certain that her eyes had easily told him how curious she was about what would come next.

"You see, during the time when my mother had still been worshipped as the benevolent Rabbit Goddess, I had come to greatly admire her deeds and her wish for peace. I had decided to follow in her steps, and so, I had come up with the concept of the life philosophy and religion that would later come to be known by many as ninshū."

Yuno felt her curiosity progressively increase the more she listened to his story.

"After I had understood the very nature of chakra, I had realized that it could be used to further improve the era of peace that my mother had brought forth by granting humanity a better understanding of themselves, as well as of the others, through the teachings which I had developed over the years."

Despite knowing that her beloved was very wise after the many instances in which he had shown to her the extents of his wisdom, after hearing his words, she was now certain that it was on a completely different level from what she had initially thought it to be.

Realization which only got further strengthened by what she had heard him say next.

"Thus, as soon as I had dealt with the Ten-Tails, I began to travel the lands, spreading fragments of my chakra along with the teachings of my ninshū to every human I had met. By doing so I had hoped that they would use the chakra I had gifted them to connect their spiritual energies to one another, so that they would be able to understand each other without the need for words."

This time, she felt a spike of anger course through her when she noticed the same saddened expression form on his visage, because she knew the reason for why he felt that way. She had heard it earlier form him that humanity was incapable of overcoming its nature, and now that she was aware of much more things, she was able to realize what he would be saying next.

"Unfortunately, due to my naivety and foolishness, I had failed to realize that mankind was unworthy of such a thing, and thus, I had unknowingly given them the means to create the deadliest weapon for them to slaughter each other with."

Hearing those words, she turned around as a look of anger briefly flashed across her face. She had quite the bad feeling about how the next part of the story would turn out to be, because as things stood, it was getting darker rather fast.

The way those humans had acted incensed her, but she decided to wait for her beloved to tell her the entire story before she decided whether she should slaughter them down to the last one for their insolence or not.

And following that thought, Yuno watched how the world began to change once more, her mind continuing to ponder in the meantime everything that she had learnt so far.

#######

"As I travelled the world, spreading my teachings and gifting fragments of my chakra to humanity, words of my and my brother's defeat of the Jūbi had eventually begun to spread amongst the humans."

His words snapped Yuno out of her musings, and she noticed that her surroundings had yet to take any concrete form as they were still an amalgamation of colors and shape.

"And those words had been further cemented after I had released the still trapped victims of my mother's Infinite Tsukuyomi from their eternal dream. So, inevitably, people all around the world began to revere me as a god for the virtue of my victory against the formidable Ten-Tails, but also for my subsequent actions of helping humanity."

She had to agree with that, because after witnessing him and his brother face against the Jūbi with her own two eyes, she could not view him as anything else but godlike.

He certainly possessed the power, and his deeds were bound to bring him the deification in the eyes of the people.

"Still, I had not minded that development, because I had never been one to care too much about status or power" she could not resist the urge to smile when she heard that. "That is why I had chosen to be a priest, after all."

It had been more than obvious to her from what she had learnt of him so far that he had never cared nor will ever care about how powerful he is. Not when in some cases he did not even take his own power seriously.

But besides that, there was one more thing she had noticed about him that she knew it played a major role in his perception of his power regarding his own self.

Humility.

She might have seen him come off as rather prideful on several occasions, however, she had quickly understood that his pride was not conceited, nor arrogant. It was just that, simple pride attributed to his very being and nature.

She felt that it was an intrinsic attribute of his. It was in his presence, in his every step, in his every gesture, in his every word. His pride was dignified and it reflected on him as a person. It was a fundamental part of what made him, him.

But alongside this dignified pride which was an intrinsic quality to his very person, there was also a feeling of humility that seemed to perfectly complement it, as if keeping a sort of equilibrium between the two.

It was quite fascinating, really.

He was proud and dignified by nature, but at the same time, he was also humble and modest through his actions and demeanor. It was as if he had managed to achieve a perfect balance between his pride and humility, so that when he expressed one of them to a larger degree, he would, in time, compensate with the other by channeling it through various other means.

Or at least that's what she had managed to conclude by observing his behavior during the times whenever he had been with her.

"As I am certain that you must have realized from my tale so far, there is one peculiar thing about power in relation to the individual. The more it is accumulated into one person, the higher the possibility that that person will become arrogant and desire even more power gets. No being is an exception from this rule, but in the case of humans, the increase is even greater."

After she heard his words, she was certain that she had been rather spot on with her previous assumption.

For all the pride and dignity that he held, he also had an equivalent in humbleness and modesty.

It just depended on the angle from which one viewed his person, because in most cases the former tended to catch the eye much easier than the latter, for the simple fact that it was a fundamental trait, rather than a learnt conduct.

"Now, returning to my previous point, after sealing the Jūbi within myself, instead of caring about the unfathomable power of the beast that I had obtained as mine, I had just felt content knowing that I had found a way to help further the peace that my mother had ushered."

Still smiling, Yuno listened to his words as she waited for the scenery to finish its transition into the next part of the story.

"The years passed, and after I had been done sharing my teachings and beliefs with the world, I had decided that it was time for me to settle down and have a family of my own."

Her smile faltered the moment she heard that, and despite his words making it quite clear to her what he had meant, a part of her mind hoped that it had been her the one whom he had spoken about when he had said family.

"That was how I had met the woman who mothered my children."

His words echoed in her mind like a broken record, and she felt that she was on the verge of crying.

In the end, she was able to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, but only because of her rapidly growing jealousy that easily dwarfed them.

"She had been a priestess at one of the temples where I had preached about my teachings, and in time we had grown close one to the other."

The more she listened to this, the more she felt that something inside her was getting very close to snapping.

She still had trouble believing the fact that her Naruto had been with another woman.

She knew that it shouldn't be her business, given how it had all obviously happened before he had met her, however, a big part of her mind was screaming at her for blood due to the simple fact that someone else had touched and had been the recipient of her beloved's affections.

"So, you've been married... Naruto...?" she finally asked in a dull tone, almost as if trying to convince herself about that fact, rather than asking for confirmation from him.

"That I have, my dear" she felt a sharp pain run through her heart at his words. "Although, now that I look back at it, I cannot say that it had been a genuine relationship, and that is because it had been built upon a foundation of lies and foolishness..."

However, upon hearing the last part, she was left wide eyed and wondering if she had heard it right.

"You see, my wife had been a wonderful person and a great mother. She had been very supportive of my ideals and had helped me bring my dream to fruition" she felt another stab of pain at her heart. "That had been probably the reason for why we had been drawn together in the first place. Because I had finally found someone sharing my beliefs so strongly other than my brother..."

Despite the pain that she felt at his words, Yuno realized from his voice that there would be a 'but' in what he was going to say next.

"But that had been it. We had been bound together by those foolish and naïve ideals."

As soon as she heard that, she immediately started to feel better, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her chest.

"My feelings for her had stemmed from our shared beliefs, but at that time I had not seen it for what it had been..."

She no longer felt any pain in her heart, and she was beginning to see that her jealousy had been misplaced.

"That my affections for her had been born from a lie."

These words made her heart soar as soon as she registered them.

It seemed that her jealousy had been definitely misplaced, because, in the end, her beloved had never been with any woman other than herself.

After all, his words had made it clear that he had been a completely different man at that time, so it had been that man who had been with that priestess, not her Naruto.

"So, I had been happy that I could begin a family with her, oblivious to the fact that I had been deluding myself the entire time."

Yuno slowly turned around to face him, before she embraced him in a loving hug, an elated smile gracing her features as she rested her head on his shoulder.

She did not say anything and simply relished in the pleasant feeling brought forth by her closeness to him.

When she finally leant back from the hug, she stared for a few moment in his violet eyes, noting that they seemed to be reflecting a happiness not too unlike than that of her own.

"A short time after we had settled down, my first son, Indra, had been born."

As soon as she heard him resume with his story, she returned the entirety of her attention back on it.

"Not long after that, my other son, Asura, had also been born."

Now she was starting to get rather curious about his age, since, apparently, his younger self had been married, had two children, and he was speaking as if that had happened a long time ago.

She had a feeling that she would be in for a big surprise when she finally learnt about how old he truly was.

"As time passed, I had decided to teach them both ninshū, however, there had been one huge difference between the two."

I did not take long for Yuno's curiosity to be once again spurred.

"One had inherited my strong chakra, and one had not..."

She idly wondered who had been that one, and her answer quickly came when she noticed an image forming in the distance.

It was a young man with long brown hair, two locks wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face, and peculiar eyes—a small pupil in the middle of a blood red iris, with three tomoe surrounding it.

His clothing consisted of a black full-bodied suit, over which he wore a light colored kimono secured by a dark colored sash.

"Since birth, the older brother, Indra, had possessed powerful eyes and a strong sense for battle. He was touted as a genius" she listened intently to his words. "He did everything on his own and understood that his power was special and different from that of those around him. Eventually, he came to believe that with power, anything was possible."

As she mused on what her beloved had just told her, Yuno felt that she agreed with the life philosophy of his eldest son, since it was as close to a realistic view of the world as one could get. And it was the same in her world as well.

Whether a person's power was represented by their money, knowledge, or influence, it was the same. With enough of it, one could achieve anything they wished.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed the image of the older brother fade away as it was replaced by what she had assumed to be the one of the younger brother.

He seemed to be of a similar age to his brother and his clothing was also almost identical to his, with the sole exception of the bandages wrapped around his forehead.

Only his features differed, with them being much more stern, as well as his hair, which was shorter and spiky, but still the same brown color.

His eyes were also another difference, since they were a normal brown, instead of the obvious dōjutsu that his older brother possessed.

"On the opposite side, there was the younger brother, Asura, who ever since his childhood, had been bad at everything that he did. He could not do anything by himself" she heard him chuckle. "So, in order to achieve the same strength as his brother, he had needed a great effort, along with the cooperation of those around him. And soon..."

Yuno continued to listen to her beloved's story, as she didn't have enough information in order to be able to form a concrete opinion about his younger son.

"Through his harsh training... the chakra within his body had bloomed, and he had found power on the same level as his brother. As such, he had realized that his strength had been achieved through the help that he had received from those around him. He came to understand what it meant to care for others and he also realized that with love anything was possible."

Upon hearing this, she decided that she had rather mixed feelings about the younger brother.

On one had he had a point in some of the things that he had come to believe in, such as the fact that through cooperation great things could be achieved, but on the other hand, he must have been quite stupid if he had believed that anything could be solved just by caring for the others.

She didn't know of any concrete examples from her beloved's world, however, she could find plenty of instances in her world, where love alone did next to nothing for you.

Love did not keep one warm when they had no home, nor did it feed the poor. It did not prevent wars and as sure as hell it did not save you from spending half of your childhood inside a small cage.

She would know that all too well, because despite her parents' harsh treatment for her, she had still continued to love them and had believed that they would eventually see what they had been doing to her if given enough time.

Too bad that none of that had ever happened.

The voice that she used to have inside her head had surely attested to that very fact. That love alone did not do a single thing for you when you lived a hell on earth for the better part of your life.

And yet... for all of the things that love could not solve, it had one fundamental, irreplaceable role.

In the right circumstances and when paired with meaningful enough action, love could heal the scars brought on by the harshness of life.

It could mend the soul of the anguished.

It could give hope where there was none.

She would know it, because, after all, that had been exactly what love had done for her, ever since she had met her beloved Naruto.

Yuno was snapped out of her musings when she heard Naruto speak after he had also taken a brief pause to most likely collect his own thoughts.

"At that time, I had believed that Asura's life philosophy held the key toward furthering peace and I began to doubt that Indra's way of living could yield the same favorable results... That had been a truly foolish assumption on my part..."

She noticed how his voice became more solemn as he continued to speak.

"Only much later I had realized my mistake and that, in truth, both of my sons had been right, yet at the same time wrong in their beliefs."

Her eyes slightly widened upon hearing that and she felt curiosity fill her as she wondered if her own inferences from earlier would come close to what he would be telling her next.

"You see, even though my younger son, Asura, had been a hopeless and foolish idealist just as I had been at that time, some of his beliefs had held a lot of merit."

Her curiosity only got greater as she heard that, prompting her to listen with rapt attention to his following words.

"One can obtain strength from their bonds with another, and cooperation can bring in some cases favorable outcomes... however... that does not mean one should throw their love around as if it was a cheap commodity" her eyes widened even more as she heard that. "My younger son had been naïve to believe that love alone could bring a solution to any problem, and I had been naïve as well for acknowledging this belief of his."

As she pondered on her beloved's words, she realized that she agreed perfectly with what he had just told her. And she also felt very happy to know that they had both reached the same conclusion on that matter.

However, it still hurt her considerably to hear him talk in such a manner about himself.

"And yet... that does not make my older son's, Indra's, beliefs any better. He had also been foolish in his way of thinking that through power anything could be achieved, because there is one thing that power alone cannot always bring. Happiness."

Despite his words not being in complete concordance with her earlier inference, she couldn't help but feel that they were being true, because she had heard of and seen enough instances where despite all of their power, be it financial, political or otherwise, people were still lacking happiness in their lives.

"Indra might have been a genius with a power unmatched by his peers, however, despite all of his power, he had failed to obtain the happiness that my younger brother and his peers had achieved" she noticed him become more pensive as he spoke. "Instead, all that he had obtained through his solitary and self-centered way of living had been bitterness and a hollow feeling of victory, for it does not matter whether you are at the very top or not if there is no one else around with whom you can share that feeling."

Once again, she completely agreed with his words.

"In the end, one has to find a balance between the two extremes. Solitude will bring bitterness and make one feel hollow in most of the cases, and throwing around your love will only make it cheap and meaningless."

She didn't realize when she gave an almost imperceptible, involuntary nod as she further listened to his speech.

"Instead, one should try to find the one who truly brings them happiness and then share their utmost love with them in order to achieve an even greater happiness. That is the conclusion that I had eventually reached after many years of contemplation on the matter. And then, of course, there is also the fact that once found, no one should ever be allowed to interfere between you and that person."

As soon as she registered that, she felt that his words had resonated very deeply within her.

The passion that she had felt behind them had been enough to send shivers down her back and fill her with warmth as she was reminded of the feelings that they both held for each other.

Moments later, her eyes widened as she realized that with the last part of his speech he had actually drawn a parallel to the relationship between them, which in turn filled her with even more warmth and happiness at the implications behind his words.

She felt like jumping on him and kissing him until she was out of breath, however, she refrained herself from doing so, because she didn't want to interrupt him from his story, especially now that he was getting closer and closer to what she had realized to be the climax of it.

Besides, there would be plenty of time for her to do that later.

Ending her musings, Yuno noticed that he had been gazing at her the entire time with a smile on his face, which brought a faint red hue to her cheeks as she smiled in return.

"And with that being said, let us return back to the previous topic regarding my younger son and my foolish decision from that time."

Hearing that, she braced herself for the heavier part of the story that she had felt it would follow and waited for him to continue as she stared at the kaleidoscope of colors that currently made up her surroundings.

#######

"At that time, I felt inspired by Asura's life philosophy and I began to realize through it a new possibility... One which made me wonder if mankind could maintain on their own the peace that I had consolidated for them."

As Yuno listened to him speak, the same foreboding feeling from earlier began to fill her.

"So, I decided that it was time for me to stop holding their hands and let them live by the teachings which I had imparted to them, without me as a figure of divinity to seemingly keep them in line just by being in the world."

And that feeling only grew the more she heard of his story.

"However, that posed a slight difficulty, because after I had sealed the Jūbi within myself, I had become immortal, unable to willingly depart from the world."

Her eyes slightly widened at that. He had been immortal?

It might have not been much of a stretch, given the things that she already knew about him, however, it was still very surprising. Especially when she thought about the implications that his words foreshadowed.

"The only way for me to have done as such, would have been through relinquishing the incredible power of the Ten-Tails within myself."

Her eyes widened even further when she understood what he was about to say.

"Which I had done without a second thought, for I truly wanted to see mankind flourish by itself. Just as any father would have wished for their children after raising them" she listened to his words with an almost disbelieving look present on her face. "I had taught and given them understanding, but I could not have stood by their side, holding their hands forever. Eventually, they would have needed to learn how to live on their own by using the knowledge which I had gifted them."

She glanced at his face and saw the solemn look that his features had settled into.

Her beloved had given up such a thing for the sake of the humans, and she knew that she should feel happy at the thought that he would do such a sacrifice, however, she could not feel anything besides anger, because she was starting to understand what the outcome to his actions had actually entailed.

"So, I divided the power of the Ten-Tails within me and gave names to its parts. I did that because it was the only way to prevent the beast from resurging, but also because I believed that the bonds of 'cooperation' which Asura spoke of, were where true power lay. I had hoped that by creating the tailed beasts, I would be giving humanity another way to further promote peace."

Yuno could not help the sinking feeling that began to form in her stomach as soon as she heard him say that part, however, she was momentarily distracted from it when she noticed something truly astonishing take place as another image formed in her surroundings.

It was her beloved's old self, who had his arms slightly raised with the palms upturned as he stood in the middle of a dimly lit room.

She observed how the crescent moon and sun symbols on his palms were glowing in their respective colors, before she heard him utter two words that she could tell they carried within incredible power.

 _Banbutsu Sōzō..._

Her eyes stared in utter fascination as she immediately saw his palms ignite in brilliant flames, midnight black for his left and pure white for his right.

She quickly realized that it was actually chakra, which was so dense that it actually became visible to the eye, and she continued to watch mesmerized as he brought his hands together.

The dancing flames were joined together, dark with bright, and where they touched, she saw how the grey of life came into existence.

There were simply no words to describe what she was currently seeing.

He was creating life.

Life in the form of nine young creatures in whose midst he stood as they looked at him in curiosity.

The scene ended here, and Yuno took a few moments to recover from her daze at what she had just witnessed, before she eventually focused back on Naruto when she heard him speak again.

"And so, with the creation of the bijū, I had relinquished my hold on immortality for the sake of mankind and the peace that I hoped it would further. I had extracted the nine tailed beasts from myself, and despite being left severely weakened, I was able to survive the process due to the incredible life force of the Jūbi's husk."

She felt all of her previous anger return at that, and it began to slowly bubble the more she realized how things had actually turned for him in the end.

"And on my deathbed, I had made Asura the leader of ninshū, so that he could guide everyone through his way of living... I thought that Indra would join in and cooperate" a look of shock crossed her face as she listened to him. "But..."

He had... died...?

Knowing this it made the matter of his age even more confusing to her. Or the fact that he was alive after he had died, for that matter.

Still, she set those thoughts aside, because she knew that he would explain them to her soon enough, but also because she could not shake one fact out of her mind.

He had died for the sake of the humans, and that thought angered her to no end, because she was beginning to realize just how they had thanked him for his sacrifice.

"Indra did not accept that. He would not accept the fact that I had forgone his beliefs in favor of those of his younger brother. So, through my actions at that time, I had inadvertently sparked a long feud between my children, one which had continued on through the ages to come..."

Once again, she felt her heart ache as she listened to his saddened tone. He was blaming himself too much for things that had been out of his control at that time.

"Not long after I had appointed my younger son the leader of ninshū, I had finally succumbed to the consequence of relinquishing the great power of the Ten-Tails. But I had died with no regrets, for at that time I had not known what would come to be after my departure from the world. I had died with a hopeful heart for mankind..."

The foreboding feeling from before returned almost tenfold, and she had a really bad feeling about what he would be telling her next.

#######

"However, one thing that I had not anticipated, was the impact that my great power would have on my existence beyond life."

Her eyes glimmered in curiosity upon hearing that.

It seemed that her confusion regarding his age was about to get cleared, or at least diminished by a large degree.

"You see, at the time of my death, my power had been so vast and unfathomable that it had opposed the natural order of the world. It had latched onto my soul and had prevented it from ascending to the Pure Land, the afterlife of my world."

Once again, a shocked look was plastered on her face as she listened to him speak.

"And that had left me trapped between the realms of the living and the dead, an existence trapped outside the concept of time, cursed to wander throughout the ages and watch over all of creation."

She took a few moments to carefully process his words, before she realized that out of everything which she had learnt about him thus far, this revelation certainly took the proverbial cake.

Her Naruto had actually become so unbelievably powerful that upon passing away he had not only defied the very concept of death, but he had also been ousted from the natural order, and that because the world itself had apparently been unable to cope with an existence so far beyond its laws and concepts.

And due to that, he had ended up as a sort of pseudo-ghost, an incredibly overpowered one at that, not bound by any laws of nature or common sense, and forced to exist outside the concept of time as an eternal anachronism.

At least, this time it was easy for her to figure out where to file all of this information without requiring too much thought on the matter, because all of this definitely went straight to that corner of her mind, right next to the other things about her beloved which did not make a smidgen of sense to any type of logic whatsoever.

As she brought her previous train of thought to an end, she idly noted that she had yet to find something concrete about his real age, because the previous revelation did not tell her too much besides the fact that he should be very, _very_ old.

But she dropped that thought as well when she noticed he was about to continue with his story.

"Still, I had eventually found the silver lining in this development, for it had granted me the possibility to see how mankind had fared after my departure. To observe how they had proceeded with their lives in my absence and how they had made use of my legacy which I had left for them."

That foreboding feeling from earlier returned in full force, and Yuno knew that from this point onward, things would be getting very unpleasant to her.

"However..."

She quickly braced for what she realized that would come.

"When I had actually seen how mankind had turned out only months after my passing... I had been left shocked and disbelieving..."

Only from his tone alone, she was able to infer the gravity of what he was about to say next, and that made her hands shake as she felt her anger slowly rise.

"I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw how they had used my teachings after I had been no more..."

Her anger suddenly spiked when she noticed the beginning of melancholic expression forming on his beautiful face.

"I had gifted them with a part of my strength. I had shared with them my beliefs. I had taught them about understanding through my ninshū, so that they could reach peace and harmony... and what had they done with all of that?"

Yuno clenched her fists tightly in an attempt to hold in her anger as she realized what was about to come next.

"They had disfigured it. Turned my ninshū into ninjutsu. Something created as a means for peace and understanding had been made into something which had the sole purpose of taking a life. They had perverted my teachings and had transformed them into weapons..."

She felt her blood boil at the actions of humanity, and the more she listened to his recollection of those events, the more she wanted to end them with her own hands for all the misery and heartache that they had caused to him.

"Seeing this had been the ultimate betrayal for me, but it had finally opened my eyes. It had made me seriously doubt mankind as a whole, but also myself..." she noticed his tone become heavier. "Mankind, because even after they had gained peace and understanding, they had still craved for nothing but war and suffering. And myself, because despite all of my hard work, my love for them, my sacrifices... it had not been enough."

By now Yuno was livid, and she had to struggle to contain all of her anger as she kept on listening to his speech.

"That was the moment when I had realized that my way of thinking about humanity had been nothing but foolish and naïve. That my belief that they could coexist in harmony had been only a foolish dream which I had just been awoken from... But most importantly, it brought me to the conclusion that my mother must have actually been right in her approach for upholding the peace that she had brought to mankind."

As she registered his words, she realized that this had been the point when her beloved had greatly changed from his past self, and she felt no small satisfaction at the thought that those unworthy humans had lost most of his favor in the wake of his change.

"She must have definitely seen the darkness within their hearts at some point, as she had decided that in order to save them from themselves, she would have to conquer them and inevitably rule over them."

She agreed with his retrospection, however, she did not get to dwell on it too much, because she noticed that the scenery around her began to rapidly change.

The sight that was revealed to her eyes left her impressed, but not to the same level as before, because she knew that after witnessing her beloved's younger self battle against the Jūbi alongside his brother, there would be very little things that would leave her with the same awed impression.

So, in this case, she simply observed the two individuals, whom she had identified as being the sons of her past Naruto, as they battled one against the other, the older one using a gigantic ethereal purple humanoid of sorts, whereas the younger one made use of a similar ethereal-looking yellow colored avatar, but with a different design and the addition of five truth-seeking orbs.

"This had been the first battle of the long war between my children, spurred on by Black Zetsu, which had manipulated Indra into fighting Asura for the leadership of ninshū."

Despite knowing that the annoying blob of tar had been permanently removed from the picture, she still could not help but feel angered at the simple thought that everyone in the world had seemed at some point to try to hurt her Naruto in some way or another.

And then, her anger only grew further when she noticed the two groups of people, one on each brother's side, equipped with various weapons and wielding the power of that nasty blight, ninjutsu, that her beloved had spoken of.

Soon enough, they too engaged in combat as they carried their own fight alongside the two battling brothers.

"Thus the bloody history of the shinobi world began..."

Yuno noticed how, with his words, the surroundings shifted once more as it began to cycle through a multitude of scenes, each depicting images worse than the previous ones.

She watched as more battles ensued between the followers of Indra and Asura, which did not stop even after the deaths of the two brothers, as she had soon learnt about how the powerful chakra they had built up during their lives had continued to persist even after their physical bodies had been destroyed in one of their battles.

As such, the chakra of each brother began a cycle of transmigration in their descendants, the members of the Senju clan for the younger brother and of the Uchiha clan for the older one, as they continued their feud throughout the history.

Then came the first world war between shinobi, in which they had proudly showcased just how much they had managed to defile the teachings of her beloved.

She watched how tens of thousands of these shinobi massacred each other and everyone else around them during their battles, all for the sake of their greed and false pretensions for peace.

She saw assassinations right and left. Lands wiped out for being a nuisance. Genocide for supporting the wrong group. Or for being too powerful in the eyes of others.

There was no drop left of the peace and understanding that her beloved had fought so hard for and sacrificed so much to bring them. They had thrown it all away in their craving for war and suffering.

It was all sickening to her, but not because of the death and misery.

It was repulsive because of what they had done to the gift that her Naruto had entrusted to them. How they had repaid his hard work and many sacrifices. How they had treated his beliefs. His love.

They had essentially spat in the face of everything that he had done for them during his life. And that was why she was now convinced that they were beyond unworthy. They deserved to be greatly punished for their sins.

When the scenes finally stopped playing, and the surroundings returned once more to their usual amalgamation of colors, Yuno slowly faced toward Naruto as she gazed at him with an expression that denoted both pain and anger.

"Naruto... they deserved to be punished for what they had done... for their betrayal of your teachings and beliefs..." she almost hissed, her anger seeping into her voice.

"But I have eventually punished them, my dear" her eyes slightly widened upon hearing his words. "I have taken away chakra from their grasp, their favorite tool of war, and I have made sure that they would never again stray away from the peaceful era which I had brought anew before my second departure."

Despite hearing that, her anger was not quelled, because she quickly realized that it had been too light of a punishment for the weight of their sins.

"No, Naruto..." she replied in a low tone. "That is not enough..." more anger bled in her voice. "They deserve to be eradicated for their sins. Cut down to the last one. Slaughtered. Just like they had done to the love and understanding that you had tried to give them. They deserve to be ended. The same way they had done to your teachings and beliefs."

Yuno found herself slightly panting after she was done speaking, her anger at those unworthy maggots still boiling as hot as before as she waited for her beloved to give his own reply.

"As bad as mankind might have turned out to be... It is still the most important part of my legacy" she heard him say in a solemn tone as she gazed at his resolute visage. "And that is exactly why it shall continue to live on, for there must remain a testament to the mistakes of my past, mistakes which had been born from my foolish and naïve ideals."

However, as soon as she heard his words, she felt all of her ire fade away as she understood that there was no way she could change his mind. And that in and of itself brought a small smile to her lips as she realized the reason for why he was being so stubborn in this case.

It had to do with the observations that she had done earlier about his very nature.

It was both his pride and humility in this case which had prompted him to chose the option that he had just made very clear to her.

He had acknowledged his mistakes and shortcomings, but at the same time, he had been proud of them, because they had led to him becoming the very person who he currently was. The one whom she had fallen in love with. The one alongside whom she would definitely remain for the rest of her life.

And that was why she was going drop this matter entirely and stop caring about it now that he had given her his final answer, because, after all, she had resolved to never again doubt him.

Several moments later, after she was done with her musings, Yuno glanced back at her beloved's face as her previous smile grew wider.

"Alright, Naruto" she voiced in a relaxed tone. "I understand now."

Following her words, she leant in closer and embraced him in a loving hug, which lasted for the better part of a minute, before she finally separated from him.

"I'm glad, my dear" she heard him reply with a smile. "Now then, let us continue from where we have left off with the tale..."

#######

Yuno noticed that the scenery did not seem as it would be changing anytime soon from its current ensemble of blended colors, so she once again focused the entirety of her attention back on her beloved.

"In spite of everything that I had witnessed mankind do after my death, I had not given up on them. I continued to cling to the foolish hope that they were not a lost cause, and that maybe if I were to change my approach, then I could bring lasting peace and harmony once again."

Based on what she had heard from him so far, she quickly understood the general idea of what he had meant when he had said 'changing his approach'.

It seemed that in the end, it had all come full circle, because she was quite sure that he had went with a very similar method to what his mother had used during her reign of peace over humanity.

"But soon, I realized that there was not exactly much that I could have done from where I lay trapped outside of time, a neither dead, nor truly alive existence..."

This made her curious, because she wondered how he had managed to resurrect himself, or whatever he had actually done in order to escape from his trapped ghost-like state and return back to reality from wherever place he had been during all of the time after his death and before his revival.

"So, I slowly began to give up on my wish of returning the era of peace for humanity as I watched it destroy itself further and further over the course of time."

Despite having a part of her wishing that he had given up on mankind at that time in order to avoid any further sadness and pain that they might have caused him, she knew that had he actually done so, then chances were that they would have never met, which would have also most likely ended with her death on that day, as well.

And if there was one thing that she would never trade for anything else in all of creation, then that thing would be her meeting of him on that day, when her entire life had been changed for the best.

So, she could live with the thought that humanity had hurt her beloved to such an extent, because right now, she was by his side, a place where she could heal him of everything that those unworthy humans had inflicted on him.

"Yet, one day, just as I was about to completely give up on the possibility that I could still change something, a miracle happened."

Her curiosity was further spurred as soon as she heard him say that.

"And it had been one of ironic proportions, for it had been exactly Black Zetsu's over excessive meddling which had set the stage in preparation for my return."

She had to stifle a giggle as soon as she registered that. It seemed that not even that conceited creature was immune to the effects of cosmic irony.

"The sole thing keeping me from returning to the mortal realm in a similar way to that of my sons' chakra, was the fact that there did not exist any human whose body could have possibly contained my power without expiring prematurely and whose chakra would have been compatible enough to mine."

She could only nod at his words, since that was the same conclusion that she had reached based on what she knew about his power thus far.

"The sole possibility would have been through an union of my descendants, for only so, a person strong enough to house my spirit and chakra could have been born. But as you had surely noticed earlier, ever since Indra and Asura had passed away, the Uchiha and Senju clans had been rather busy slaughtering each other and would have never entertained the thought of starting a family with one another."

This time a giggle escaped her mouth as she was unable to hold back the amusement that she felt at his words.

"So, as a result of Black Zetsu's apparently inconsequential mistake, after slightly more than a thousand years, the impossible became possible, and a boy powerful enough to house my power and spirit had been born. Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Uzumaki Kushina, a descendant of Asura's bloodline, and Namikaze Minato, a descendant of Indra's bloodline."

Her eyes slightly widened when she registered two rather important details from what her beloved had just told her.

One was the fact that he had spent around a millennium as a ghost before he had actually reincarnated or whatever it had been the the had done in order to return back to the world of the living.

And the second detail had to do with the Uzumaki name that she had not recognized and which brought her some confusion as she did not exactly understand how the entire transmigration process had worked.

However, her first observation took precedence in her thoughts, because it was relevant to one of the questions that she had yet to find an answer for.

His age.

"Naruto, there's something I've been wondering about for a while now... Just how old are you?" she asked in curiosity as she glanced at her beloved.

"Ah, I apologize for not clearly stating it before, my dear, but I had wanted to reveal it gradually during the story."

She heard him reply as she noticed an almost mischievous smile form on his lips, which when coupled with his not so quite apologetic tone, made her realize that she was in for a big surprise.

"Anyway, to answer your question, the age of this body," she watched as he indicated to himself, "is fourteen days and several hours; the age of my soul is slightly over one thousand and one hundred seventeen years, whereas the age of my mind is somewhere around eleven millennia."

Whatever it might have been her expectations regarding his age, they had been completely smashed to bits the moment when she registered his words, prompting her eyes to widen even further.

She took a few moments to process what she had just heard, before she finally said the only coherent thing that was running through her mind at that time.

"Huh?"

It might have not been the most eloquent reply on her part, however, it had done its job rather well.

"It will make sense very soon as I am getting close to explaining it all, but if you wish as such, I can do it right now."

His words instantly snapped her out of her disbelief induced confusion, and she did not waste any moment in giving her reply.

"Don't worry, Naruto, I'll wait for you to tell me."

Truly, there was no other answer that she could have chosen from, since she needed the time to properly process all of what he had just revealed to her.

The fact that his soul was over a thousand years and a century old... that she could easily understand, given how long he had made his period of existence as a ghost-like being seem to be.

The part regarding the age of his body confused her a little, however, she could still understand it, or at least come close to understanding it, because she was certain that it must have had something to do with the great mystery that chakra was.

However, the part about his mind being over eleven thousand years old... that was yet another thing which went straight to _that_ part of her mind, because she could not find any logical explanation to it based on what she knew so far about him.

"Very well, then let us continue with the story..."

Hearing him say that, she put an end to her previous musings as she waited for him to continue.

#######

"As I was saying, the boy who would come to house my power and soul had been just born, however, there had been a slight complication at that time."

Yuno raised a rose eyebrow at that.

"Complication?" she asked curiously.

"Yes" she looked in her beloved's eyes as he replied, searching for anything that might have suggested discomfort at his recollection. "You see, it had so happened that at the time of my birth, one resentful victim of Black Zetsu's manipulations had decided to play the revenge card and meddle in affairs which greatly exceeded his authority."

Glad that she did not find any sign of sadness on his visage during his speech, she once again made a mental comment on how much of a good riddance the removal from the picture of Black Zetsu had been.

"Still, it had not been too much of a nuisance, since I had swiftly taken my leave and began my game of waiting."

A small satisfied smile settled on her lips as she heard that.

She would not care for whom it had been the one to have interfered with her beloved's wish as long as he or she was no longer among the living.

Meddling insects deserved no acknowledgement, after all.

"The only thing which could have posed a threat to my plans would have been Black Zetsu itself, however, I had taken the required measures of remaining undetected by moving my host to a far away and secluded island. And once there, I made sure that young Naruto would not fall prey to the elements, before I retreated back into his soul as I waited for him to mature enough until I could reveal myself to him."

Her eyebrows rose in curiosity at his words, and a thought entered her mind.

"How did you keep a newborn safe on a deserted island" she asked in a curious tone. "And could you also please explain to me how exactly had this transmigration thing worked in your case, because it is rather confusing to me right now..."

"Of course, my dear" she heard his reply a moment later. "For your first question, the answer lies right here."

She watched with a curious gaze as he raised his left hand until it was only a few inches away from her face, moment when something rather unexpected occurred.

Her eyes widened in surprise when two sickly yellow eyes followed by a wide jagged grin popped up into existence on the backside of the ebon glove that covered her beloved's hand.

"This is my third son, Alduin" she vaguely heard him say as she was too focused on staring at the peculiar glove, whose features reminded her of something that caused her eyes to narrow rather dangerously. "It had taken care of my host during his childhood."

However, when her mind finally caught up with her beloved's previous words, all of her suspicions were quickly cleared away as she realized that besides their uncanny resemblance, this entity on his hand had nothing else in common with Black Zetsu.

"I am pleased to finally meet you, mother."

She took a few moments to process the words that she had just heard the glove speak to her, before an adorable look of confusion settled on her face.

"Son...? Mother...?" she asked in bewilderment as she glanced back at her beloved. "Do you mind also explaining this to me, Naruto?"

"Of course not" she heard him reply in his didactic tone. "Alduin is technically my creation, just like the bijū, however, it is a bit different, because it is a sentient materialization of my will. That is the reason for why it addresses me as its father, because it had been born from a part of me. As for it referring to you as its mother, well, I believe that it is rather self explanatory, no?"

A look of understanding crossed her features as she registered his words.

It was yet another one of the many astounding things which could be achieved through the usage of chakra, however, in this particular case, she felt as if what she had just been told was even more fabulous than most other things.

To simply put it, her beloved had taken out a piece of himself and had given it life as well as sentience. It was as incredible as it was befuddling, because she realized that she had quite the trouble figuring out how to view this entity as.

This Alduin was definitely not her Naruto, that was certain, so she would never think about it in the same way as she did about him.

However, just as her beloved had told her, it certainly possessed his will, which meant that she could not disregard its existence. Nor feel jealous of it for the odd father-son relationship that it seemed to have with him.

Honestly, this matter was becoming more and more confusing to her the longer she pondered on it.

On one hand, she could not get herself to harbor negative feelings for Alduin due to its strange bond with her beloved, because it was essentially a part of him, therefore it would be akin to channeling those feelings to her Naruto. Which was something that she could never do, as she abhorred the mere idea of it.

But on the other hand, she knew that she would never feel anything beyond kinship for it, since there existed only one person to whom all of her affections belonged.

Naruto.

In the end, she decided that she could look at Alduin as if it was a strange combination between a faithful servant and a trusted bodyguard, and that mainly due to the absolute loyalty that it seemed to hold for her beloved.

So, she would also treat it in the same manner that he did, because she did not truly see any problem with doing as such.

Besides, now that she thought a bit more about it, she found it rather funny how he referred to her as its mother due to her relationship with the one who had created it.

Bringing her musings to an end, Yuno glanced away from the smiling visage of her Naruto as she set her eyes once more on the sight of the grinning yellow-eyed glove on his left hand.

"I see..." she murmured. "And... uh... nice to meet you too, Alduin."

The sound of what she had identified as being purring quickly met Yuno's ears, and she did not need more than a couple moments to realize that it was coming from Alduin in what she assumed to be a response to her previous words.

Deciding that she would not try to look for any logic as to why Alduin could do such a thing in the first place, she instead responded to its actions with a giggle as she made sure to also put this particular piece of information to the dedicated place inside her mind.

Her attention was quickly brought back to Naruto when she heard him resume his speech.

"Now, regarding the process of transmigration in my case, the logic behind it had been as following."

She noticed that he still spoke in the same didactic tone as before, and she had to suppress a giggle as to not interrupt him.

"I had latched my power and spirit to those of young Naruto and I had slowly begun to meld my chakra with his own, until the point where only my soul had been left. And after that had been done, the process had ended with me melding my soul with his own."

As she registered the last part, she realized something rather odd about the way he had done this entire transmigration process, so she decided to voice her thoughts as she found herself curious at whatever his reasons for doing as such might have been.

"But wouldn't it have been easier to do that soul fusion at the very moment when you had transmigrated into him?" she asked, her eyes gaining an inquisitive glint as she spoke. "That way you wouldn't have needed to wait for several years until the process was finally done."

"Oh, it would have been much easier to simply absorb his spirit within mine, however, that would have meant to use him as a sacrifice. And I would have never done such a thing to him, as it had already been enough that I had essentially molded him into a clone of mine in terms of personality, so that I could have had absolute certainty that after our merger, the resulting entity would have been almost identical to the former me..." her eyes widened at the seriousness present in her beloved's voice. "I would have not dared to deny him the life that he had yet to live as well... The dreams and legacies of both Uzumaki Naruto and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo live on through me. Their spirits continue to experience life through my existence. I am them, yet I am not. They are me, yet they are not. However, what is certain, is the fact that I hold everything about them both in remembrance. I am what they had not been able to be. I am their legacy."

Yuno stared at her beloved with wide eyes and a stunned expression on her face as she contemplated the words that she had just heard him utter.

His reasoning had left her speechless and the resolve behind his words had almost brought tears in her eyes.

It was beautiful. The way he had spoken... she had seen everything that she knew about him shine through those very words. His pride. His humility. His beliefs. His firm determination.

She was honestly at a loss of words in the face of what she had just heard, and the only thing that she could do was to acknowledge just how wonderful it had all been.

"That... is definitely something else..." she spoke, still in awe at what she had just witnessed. "Now I understand... so thank you for the explanation, Naruto."

"It was my pleasure" she heard him reply, his lips forming into a smile. "Now then, since my explanation has covered most of the things which had taken place during my waiting period, we can proceed directly to the climax of the story..."

#######

Yuno glanced around herself as she noticed her surroundings finally begin to change from their previous blend of colors and shapes, and her eyes shot open once again when she noticed the new scenery.

The gigantic form of the Jūbi, albeit in a visibly weakened state, was trapped to the ground by what seemed to be eleven massive red wooden torii, its apparently subdued form surrounded by countless smaller similar creatures which were fighting against a numerous army of shinobi.

She also noticed the huge red tinted barrier which contained this battlefield, however, her attention was brought away from all of that when her eyes caught sight of the past self of her beloved walking toward said barrier, his features identical to his current appearance, with the sole exception being his golden hair.

She watched in fascination how from a simple touch of his hand, the barrier instantly crumbled, before her wonder grew even further when she saw him flick his hand dismissively as all eleven of those torii were blown away into the distance as if they had been made of paper.

What followed after that, reminded her once again that she had yet to see the full extent of his power, because he seemed to be effortlessly showcasing abilities on par with those that he had used during his first fight against the ferocious Jūbi.

The even bigger reddish barrier which he had summoned with a simple thought and an amount of chakra that had left the onlookers stunned was only one of the aforementioned feats which told Yuno that her beloved was in a league of his own.

The thousands of molten hands that he had called forth to squash all of those creatures had been an awing sight that she was certain it had inspired a good amount of dread among the watching army of shinobi, because as she was idly skimming over their faces, she noticed how most looked as though the did not want to be anywhere around someone with such might any longer.

She continued to look in curiosity as Naruto had a brief exchange with the father of his former host, before a slight frown settled on her face when she noticed how that blonde girl, who had turned out to be the sister of his former host, had acted in such a rude manner and had even attempted to attack him when she had realized that he would not respond to her demands.

Sadly, despite feeling amusement upon seeing the shocked and disbelieving expression on the girl's face when her previous attempt had failed, her pleasant mood was eventually ruined as she listened to the conversation between her beloved and the tailed beasts alongside with that girl and a dark skinned man that she did not know anything about.

Apparently, that girl thought that she could oppose Naruto's wishes for such an insignificant reason as not wanting to lose her friend bijū.

Good thing that her beloved had seen to rid her of her ignorance and naivety, because it was starting to get on her nerves. And also hearing him lecture her in such a stern manner had actually been enough to lift her mood and bring a smile on her lips.

As that meeting came to an end, Yuno watched how Naruto took a few moments to explain his intentions to everyone present, and she was once again peeved when she noticed that some people had seemed to oppose his decision.

However, when she actually saw how those foolish humans had attempted to interfere, which had led to them being wrapped in cocoons of sand for their efforts, she found it to be amusing enough for her to dismiss her anger at their audacity and instead enjoy the consequences of their stupidity.

Seriously, no person with at least an ounce of common sense would have ever gone against someone who they had seen not even ten minutes earlier completely dominate everything in a battlefield that they had been struggling just to survive on.

Returning her attention back on the scene playing before her eyes, Yuno slowly began to get angered once more, due to the simple fact that that blonde girl did not seem to be able to take a hint and had kept going on with her brother shtick.

Yet, when she saw how Naruto had finally put an end to her delusions, it instantly made her feel much better.

When she noticed Naruto finish extracting the last of the bijū, she returned her attention back to him, and just in time for surprise and amazement to fill her once again as she watched him turn the Ten-Tails into an obedient pet with just a hand sign and a surge of his power.

She quickly found the way he seemed to be having a staring contest with the colossal beast to be rather funny, however, her enjoyment was cut short when she realized that another nuisance had decided to pop up.

She watched with no small amounts of satisfaction how that white haired scarred man was quickly disposed of, before her eyebrows shot up as she noticed Alduin make its entrance with Black Zetsu slung over its shoulders and seemingly incapacitated.

Her opinion of the peculiar creature was greatly elevated now that she had found out that it had been the one who had brought that meddling blob of tar otherwise known as Black Zetsu to Naruto in order to be disposed of.

Following this, Yuno quickly came to the conclusion that it did not matter how many times she saw her beloved completely dominate everything opposing him with his overwhelming power, because each and every time she witnessed it, she still felt great excitement at the sight.

She looked in amazement at how he made another hand sign as he took control over the Ten-Tails, before he made it absorb the remaining tailed beasts, which brought it to its former power and appearance.

Then, she watched him once more seal the beast within himself, which prompted his appearance to change into what she was used to seeing every day for the past two weeks, as his hair turned from its previous golden to a pure white.

The scenes that came next were very similar to what she had already seen during the part of his story which had featured Kaguya, so she was not too surprised at the reemergence of the Shinju, nor at the activation of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

However, she felt happiness well within her when she noticed the relieved and content look form on Naruto's face as soon as he was done regathering the chakra from everyone on the planet.

A giggle eventually escaped her mouth as she watched him stare at the newly formed chakra fruit for several minutes, most likely as he contemplated about what to do with it.

"Believe it or not, at that time I truly had no idea about what to do with the fruit of chakra."

Hearing his amused voice, she glanced behind her and noticed that her beloved was smiling as well.

"So, eventually I had decided to simply take a leap of faith and ate the fruit."

She let out another giggle at his words, before she glanced back at the ongoing scene, just in time to notice his past self turn into a nightmare-inducing combination between the Jūbi and the Shinju immediately after he had consumed the fruit.

She continued to stare at his new appearance in curiosity as he began to release white wisps of chakra from all around his form, until the moment when he had suddenly burst into a rapidly expanding cloud of chakra.

Remembering his particular wording from a few moments earlier, she erupted in a fit of giggles as she watched the dense mist of chakra rapidly disperse in all directions.

Noticing how the scenery seemed to fast forward at a rapid pace, she observed how all of the previously scattered chakra was returning as it concentrated into the same spot, until the flickering form of the Jūbi was revealed.

Another giggle left her mouth when she saw him accidentally blow up a decent sized mountain with a sigh, but she quickly returned to her previously engrossed state as she watched him attempt to reassume his human form.

"This is the reason why I had given you three different answers to your question regarding my age," she heard him say, "because at that time I had needed to recreate a body after the former one's explosion. As for the incredibly dissonant mental age in relation to the others, that is due to the fact that I had integrated the psyches of the bijū as a homage to their sacrifice. They might no longer exist anymore, however, their existences will never be forgotten as I shall always remember them."

Yuno nodded in understanding at that as she was finally given the answer to that question of hers, which solved the mystery that was his age to her.

She turned around to glance at him once again, before she asked him another question that had sprung in her mind as a result of witnessing the events which had taken place in his story during the past few minutes.

"By the way, Naruto, how powerful had you become after you had consumed that chakra fruit and underwent that metamorphosis thingy that you had experienced immediately after?"

"Hm, I would say that I have become at least three times stronger in terms of raw power than my mother had been after she had combined with the Shinju. But that is only a rough estimate, because chakra is not a stagnant power. It constantly evolves with the user, therefore making its potential limitless."

She took a few moments to make sure that she had not misheard anything, before her eyes widened for the umpteenth time in the past couple hours as she pondered on what he had just told her.

The fact that he had achieved at least three times the absurd level of power that she had seen his mother demonstrate in some instances was enough to leave her shocked, however, that last part had been the real kicker in this case.

His power was also constantly increasing, and to top it off, there was apparently no limit to its rise either.

Then, there was the fact that he still did not seem to be caring about his situation power-wise, since his previous airy tone had let her know exactly what was his view regarding this subject.

Not that she was surprised about it anymore, because she had gotten over it during the previous instance where she had been faced with the initial revelation of his attitude regarding his own power.

Which was why she had decided to make another inquiry, because she was curious about a more concrete example of what he could accomplish with such might.

"I see, but what do you say that it would be the greatest feat you could accomplish now, because I did not exactly get a clear picture of what your mother had been able to do with her power in order to make a comparison between you two..."

The smile that she quickly noticed to be forming on his lips made her think that perhaps she should have just kept her curiosity to herself.

"Well, the most impressing thing that I had seen my mother accomplish had been creating and destroying entire dimensions, albeit at a substantial cost of chakra which would eventually leave her exhausted after repeated uses" she heard him say and she felt incredulity grip her at his words. "But in my case, I could easily do such a thing now, with barely any noticeable drain on my power even after successive attempts. Actually, I believe that I could do it until I became bored and still have enough chakra to overwhelm the Jūbi in battle."

Once again, she had needed to take her time to process what he had just told her.

So... apparently... he could even create and destroy entire universes... and he could do that many, many times, before he even began to feel any hints of fatigue.

Somehow, despite its absurdity, this particular fact did not surprise her as much as she thought that it should have, which meant that she must have gotten used to the impossible things that her beloved had revealed to be capable of doing.

Not spending any more thought on this matter, she filed away this information to its only fitting place, before she opened her mouth as she spoke.

"Okay..." was everything that she said, since she did not feel the need to say anything more complicated in the face of such a revelation. She was certain that her expression had told him everything that he might have wanted to know.

"Good" she heard him reply as he pointed back to the apparently frozen scenery in the distance. "Now let us continue, since there is only very little left until the conclusion of the story."

Completely agreeing with his words, she gave a brief nod, before she focused her attention back on her surroundings as she noticed the scenery become unfrozen and change back into the image of the battlefield.

Awe once again filled her as she observed how her beloved's past self summoned tens of thousands of souls from the afterlife, before he effortlessly returned them to life, thus giving her the answer to another one of her unasked questions about the extent of his power.

Following that, she watched how he had left behind a clone in order to keep the peace that he had restored, but this time in a manner resembling that of his mother's, before she saw him depart from the battlefield as he went to a secret chamber of sorts which resided beneath a shrine belonging to Indra's descendants.

She felt another surge of anger when she found out about yet another thing that Black Zetsu had meddled into, but it was quickly replaced by satisfaction as she reminded herself that the pest had been dealt with.

Moments later, she noticed how chakra began to coalesce in the middle of the room, until it took the form of an elderly man, whose features reminded her of her beloved's brother, something which was quickly confirmed when she had heard his name be uttered by Naruto.

By the time their discussion was over, Yuno felt glad at the thought that Naruto had managed to speak one last time with his brother before his departure, but she also felt curious and surprised at the revelation that he still had living family members, albeit on his brother's side.

"Hey, Naruto" she began as she turned to look at him. "What did you do about that Toneri descendant of your brother?"

"I left the clone to deal with him, since at that time, I did not feel like dealing with such a thing as I had much more important matters to attend to."

She simply nodded at his words in order not to interrupt him as she realized that he was not done speaking yet.

"Which finally brings me to the conclusion of my tale..."

Her eyes glinted in curiosity as soon as she heard him say that, and she prepared for the ending of his story as she noticed the world around her begin to revert back to its initial state as a white void.

#######

"After restoring peace to the people of my world, I had decided to leave my world, so that I could see how were the humans residing within other worlds" she heard Naruto say as she turned around to face him completely. "At that time I still hoped that the wretched flaws of the humans were actually a characteristic solely existing in my world. I had thought that if I were to go to another world, then I would find something wonderful."

As she heard the last part, she understood that nothing exactly pleasant would be coming next.

"When I arrived in your world, I had initially thought that my wish had been fulfilled after I saw how peaceful everything seemed to be at the first glance... however... I soon came to the bitter realization that I could have not been any more wrong in my wishful assumption..."

She did not like the way how his tone had become so heavy by the time he was done speaking.

"You see... when I read about the history of your species I felt revolted that such things had been also committed by the humans of your world... Yet... I refused to give up on my hope and I still tried to convince myself that they had changed in the past decades."

Whatever she remembered from her history classes coupled with what else she knew from the books and articles that she had read so far, made it very clear to her that nothing had changed about the humans, except for the improvement in their acting ability.

"But then, I saw with my own eyes the very extent of mankind's capital vices..." his tone brought a pang in her chest alongside even more anger toward humanity. "That had made me feel an anger like no other. And for the first time in my life, I had allowed myself to act upon said wrath... The result had been something that you must have surely heard to have happened in Indonesia two weeks ago."

Her ire was almost quelled as she was faced with this revelation.

So, it had been her beloved the one whom had brought such chaos in Indonesia through that series of natural disasters and huge explosion that the international media was still raving about...

Now that she thought better about it, she should have realized this a while before, since he had given her enough clues for her to be able to.

The only reason that she could come up with for not being able to see this earlier, was the fact that she had not particularly cared about what had happened in Indonesia.

Still, now that she new the exact circumstances, she found it to be rather funny, because she had heard a lot of people believing this incident to have been a manifestation of the wrath of God, who had finally decided to punish the humans for their accumulated sins.

Those people had no idea how close to the truth they had actually been with their assumptions, and that made it even funnier to her.

"In the wake of my punishment for the humans, I came to the conclusion that they were truly unworthy of my care and attention, even of my fleeting thoughts" she felt the ache in her chest vanish as she noticed his features and tone lighten. "I felt liberated, yet, at the same time, I also felt lost, because I knew nothing else besides caring for and watching over humanity."

She focused the entirety of her attention on him as she carefully listened to his every word.

"I did not know what to do, since my only dream had been forever taken away from me, so I merely wandered aimlessly through the streets after I returned to the only familiar place which I knew in your world."

A look of understanding crossed her face as she was made aware of the circumstances behind their meeting.

It had truly been a fateful meeting for her that they had encountered each other on that day.

"That had been the moment when I saw you and everything began to change for me" the glad smile that she noticed to have briefly settled on his lips at those words made her heart skip a beat. "You were walking amidst a crowd of cheerful children, but your expression was of anything but that. You were shrouded in depression and gloom, and from a simple glance at your face I realized that you had given up on the world."

Normally, she would have not felt particularly thrilled at being reminded of that period in her life, however, she knew that he had not mentioned it to her in order to hurt her in any way. And that was why she managed to easily fight off the rather unpleasant memories of that time as she waited for him to continue speaking.

"And as I was looking at you, I felt something stir within me, so I observed you even more as I tried to figure out that odd yet not unpleasant feeling..." she listened to him with rapt attention as she wondered about his aim in telling her all of this. "That was the moment when I realized that we were very alike in many aspects, yet starkly different in others..."

The more she listened, the more she felt that she was getting closer to the answer of her question.

"I felt an inexplicable attraction toward you, someone who I could not figure out and who seemed to be experiencing feelings so similar to mine."

Her heart skipped another beat at those words.

"But then... I realized that something which could have taken you away was about to happen" she quickly remembered the scene of that accident and how she would have died had he not saved her at the last moment. "I had already made my mind to not let such a thing happen to you, however, I decided to wait a bit more in order to see how you would react in the face of such a situation."

Warmth slowly began to suffuse her being as she registered the first part of his sentence.

The second half brought her the answer to the question of why he had waited until the last moment to intervene.

"And when I saw you gaze at your imminent death with such acceptance and even spiteful amusement... I knew that you were unique from any other human that I had ever seen, which made me curious as I wanted to learn more about you" she felt even more of the previous warmth fill her. "At that time I only saw you as something a little above an interesting science project, however, that had instantly changed the moment when you spoke to me those six fateful words."

Her eyes instantly widened as she registered the last part.

She had never thought that the answer which she had given to his question on that day would have carried such weight.

She did not care how he had first looked at her, because that was in the past now, and in the present, she knew what were his feelings for her. That was why she did not doubt him in the very least.

"From that point onward, I started to see you in a completely different light and my feelings for you began to slowly bloom, until they reached the point where I knew that you were the one whom I would never let go of..."

She felt her heart begin to beat faster as she listened to him.

"You hold my heart within your hands" by now her heart was racing in her chest. "My very soul yearns for yours to join itself with..."

The answer to her previous question finally came alongside with what she had just heard him utter, and she felt excitement swell within her at the thought of what she knew he would be saying next.

"You already have my love, Gasai Yuno... But will you also have me as your better half? Will you be my bride, forevermore by my side in the eternity that is to come and surely pass by us?"

She felt joy like no other fill her the moment she registered his words.

She could hardly believe her ears, but she knew that what she had just heard was as true as the feelings that she knew he held for her.

And now that she had actually heard him say it—that he loved her—she could not help but feel her own love for him surge as it began to overwhelm her.

But then, her mind reminded her that there had been more to what he had just told her, and that only brought her to an even greater height of emotion.

He had not only declared his feelings for her, but he had also asked for her to become his bride.

She felt like she was dreaming, yet she knew that all of this was very much real.

A moment later, she realized that she had yet to give her answer to his proposal, so she quickly responded as she gazed deeply into his violet eyes which were clearly reflecting all of his feelings for her to see.

"Yes..." she began in a whispering voice, which slowly became firmer and more passionate as she spoke. "Yes, I will... my Naruto... my love... I love you so much, my Naruto..."

Not even a second after she was done voicing her reply, she quickly leant in and placed a gentle and loving kiss on his lips, one which conveyed all of her feelings for him.

She spent several moments with her lips upon his own, before she leant back as her eyes had never left his during the entire time.

"You might not yet know how much happiness hearing your words has brought me, but very soon you will..."

Hearing him say that made her curious, and now that she was coming down from her previous emotional high, she also realized that she had overlooked a part of his confession due to her overwhelming feelings at that time.

She wondered what he had meant with that part about forever being by his side, and her eyes shot open in a mixture of surprise, disbelief and joy as realization eventually hit her.

He would make it so that she lived alongside him forever. He would grant her eternal life.

She was immediately brought out of her musings when she registered his voice.

"However, before that comes to be, there is one last thing which I have for you" a look of curiosity appeared on her face at his words. "A gift to commemorate our upcoming union."

This renewed her previous excitement as she began wondering about what could it be the gift that he had just mentioned.

"When you spoke of your neglect, I saw the inkling of a great source of sorrow within you..." her eyes widened as she listened to him. "And that sparked a cry of anger within me, anger which became outright wrath when I realized what your parents had done to you."

She quickly noticed that she was not too feeling surprised at the fact that he seemed to know what had truly happened to her parents, and she also noticed that she was not experiencing the anxiety and fear which would have always overcome her whenever the thought of him learning of her secret crossed her mind.

She attributed her first observation to the fact that she had learnt so many incredible things about him in the past few hours that she could easily understand how he must have figured out what had truly happened, even when she was certain that he had never entered that room in person.

Him possessing eyes that could see through objects was a dead giveaway, after all.

Her second observation was even easier for her to explain, since she no longer had any reason to ever be afraid of his reaction to finding out about what she had done to her parents now that she was aware of the extent of his feelings for her.

Yet, actually hearing him say that, had served to further strengthen her belief that he did not care about her killing her parents and it had also made her feel great happiness at the thought that her treatment at their hands had brought him such anger.

"So, now, I would like to offer you the chance to cut the last of your sorrows away."

His words brought her some confusion as she was not sure what he had meant, however, her attention was quickly drawn to a spot several feet in from of her when she noticed him indicate in that direction.

There, she noticed how something very curious began to happen not even one moment later, when white wisps of what she presumed to be chakra started coalescing at a rapid pace, until the flickering forms of two familiar individuals were revealed as they regained their complete features.

Yuno stared in surprise at the sight of her deceased parents as she realized that Naruto must have done something similar to what he had done when he had summoned the souls of the thousands of deceased at the end of the war.

She quickly noted that they seemed to be very confused at finding themselves in such an unusual place as they were glancing around at the endless expanse of white which surrounded them on all sides.

Moments later, when she saw that her parents had finally noticed her presence, she greeted them with a sweet smile as she was met with looks of recognition from them.

"Yuno...?" she heard her father voice out in befuddlement. "Is this... the afterlife?"

She couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped her mouth at his words.

"Why are you laughing, you devil child?! Aren't you dead, too? Or had you become too mad after you killed us that you don't even realize what's going on?"

Yuno simply smiled once more when she heard her mother's snide reply.

She didn't exactly care about what that woman said to her, and it was quite funny to her how hypocritical her words were, since she was the one having no idea about what was truly going on.

"Honey, I think you might be wrong..." she glanced at her father and felt even more mirth as she listened to him speak. "What if this is a sort of hallucination? Or a test to determine our fate?" she was once again unable to hold back the giggle that escaped her mouth at her father's assumptions. "Besides, why would she even be dead? How coul—"

She glanced back at her mother when she heard her interrupt her father and ignored the pointed glare that she was sending her way most likely as a response to her earlier giggling.

"No, dear" Yuno heard the brown haired woman say as she looked at her husband. "This is definitely her. She must have killed herself after realizing what she had done. Or maybe she had also starved to death, because with us gone, she had been left without anything."

This time, the rose haired girl began laughing openly at the absurdity of what she had just heard. It seemed that her mother was quite the bitter comedian.

"Not quite."

She stopped from her laughing and turned to look at her beloved as she noticed the small smile tugging at his lips, before she glanced back at her mother when she heard her questioning tone.

"And who might you be? And why are you hold—"

"Ah, where are my manners, _mother_ " Yuno cut the brown haired woman off mid sentence, with a mocking smile playing on her lips. "I would like to introduce to you my soon-to-be husband, Naruto."

She let out another giggle as she observed the momentarily confused expression that had formed on her mother's face in response to her previous interjection.

"See, dear, I've told you that she's gone mad. Now she thinks that she's going to get married when she's, in fact, dead" Yuno listened with an amused expression as her mother addressed her father after getting over her initial confusion. "Not that anyone would ever want to be with a murderer like her, mind you."

The smile never left Yuno's face as she continued to look her mother in the eye.

The woman must have been delusional if she thought that her pathetic gibes were having any effect on her.

Her mother was not even getting close to a fourth of how caustic her doppelgänger had been during the first half of their confrontation.

"Honey, at least now, please stop with that..."

Yuno raised a curious eyebrow and looked at her father when she heard his pleading tone as she idly wondered if he had somehow discovered the meaning of remorse as a result of his death.

Not that she cared about it. Or needed such a thing for that matter.

"Naruto-san, do you happen to know if this place is actually the afterlife, or if it is something else?" this time she managed to hold in her amusement, but mainly because her father had kept going with the same thing as earlier. "And also, do you mind if I ask why you are here as well?"

However, the last part made her curious, because she wondered what her beloved had in mind for her parents.

"Hm, I suppose that I can humor you for a short while" hearing his amused tone was enough to spur Yuno's excitement. "No, this place is not the afterlife, nor is it anything remotely similar to one. And the reason for why I am here, or rather the reason for why you are here, well, that is in order for you to be punished for your sins."

A look of realization dawned on Yuno's face as she listened to his explanation.

So, that was what he had meant with cutting the last of her sorrows away.

She returned her attention to her father and noticed the puzzled expression on his face, as well as the fact that he was about to say something, only to be interrupted with a glare by her mother.

"Don't bother, dear. This man is clearly not right in the head, as well" Yuno felt her amusement return as she kept listening. "At least now I see why he seems to be getting along so nicely with our devil of a daughter. They are clearly two peas in a pod with how crazy they bo—"

She looked back at Naruto, when she heard him interrupt her mother from speaking further, and it didn't take her long to notice the disappointment that was clearly visible on his visage.

"I believe that, since neither of you seems to have anything interesting left to say, we should proceed to the main event" his words made Yuno even more excited at the thought of what was to come next. "Besides, it is now quite clear to me that granting pathetic existences like you the privilege of speech had been a misjudgment on my part."

She sent a glance in the direction of her parents and immediately noticed how none of them seemed to be able to speak. And despite the fact that their current expressions were very funny, she returned her attention on her beloved as she quickly heard him continue.

"Initially, I had believed that by allowing you this privilege, you would at least amuse me enough to make it worthwhile, however, now that I have seen your disappointing performances, I am not going to allow you to waste my time anymore. After all, there are matters infinitely more important than you, that me and my darling have to attend to."

Yuno smiled lovingly in response to his words as her eyes sought his own.

"Now then, my dear, shall we begin?"

Her reply was an enthusiastic shake of her head as her mind wondered about the way he would go about punishing her parents.

"Normally, I am not one to indulge in such unrefined torture, however, for you, those who had brought such misery and pain upon my Yuno... I shall make an exception" she felt a pleasant shiver travel down her back at his words. "So, please do enjoy your eternal blaze. **Amaterasu (Heavenly Illumination).** "

Her eyes instantly widened and her body instinctively recoiled to the opposite side when she saw the obsidian flames spark to life in the opened palm of her beloved's left hand.

She took a few moments to stare in fascination at the peculiar flames, which seemed to be burning like no other flame she had ever seen in her life.

They were black as midnight in color and flickered in a hypnotizing manner as if they were dancing on the surface of his gloved palm.

If she was to give an argument for why she believed them to be completely different from any other flames that she had witnessed, then her answer would be that they did not act as an ordinary fire at all.

There was no heat emanating from them as far as she could tell, and the very way that they burnt seemed to be tamed, or rather deceptively tamed, because while they looked like they were perfectly controlled in the confines of his palm, she was certain that once unleashed, their dark brilliance would illuminate everything and then reduce it to ash, just as their very name suggested.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Naruto address her in a calm tone.

"Do not be afraid, my dear, for this fire burns only what I will it to."

She visibly relaxed at his words and returned to her previous position as she continued to look in fascination at the midnight black flames which were only inches away from the skin of her left arm.

"Now, Yuno, guide my hand toward where those wretched spirits are... and be the one to hand them this divine punishment."

Her eyes widened as she registered his words.

She had thought that he would be the one to punish her parents, so she was feeling quite surprised now that she had found out she would be the one to actually do it.

But it was a pleasant surprise, nonetheless, because she certainly felt like doing it, as she wanted to exact her vengeance on them for everything they had put her through during the better part of her childhood.

So, without any other thought, she gently grasped his wrist and gave him a grateful smile as she began to slowly guide his hand to where her parents were standing with shocked and horrified expressions on their faces as they were unable to move even an inch.

"A soul might be impossible to damage or destroy through most means existent... however... it can be _burnt_ with flames potent enough..." she listened captivated as she continued to move his hand at an agonizingly slow speed while taking delight in how the expressions of her parents were getting more and more desperate with every millimeter that she brought his hand closer to the mark. "...such as those of Amaterasu."

When she finally placed his hand in their direction, she watched in astonishment as the obsidian flames in his hand shaped themselves into two identical arrows, before they shot toward her parents, impaling each of them through their hearts in the blink of an eye.

The effect was instantaneous, and she realized that she had been very accurate with her previous assumption about the peculiar flames, because as soon as the arrows had made contact with the spirits of her parents, they exploded in a dark blaze which covered them from head to toe.

Not even a moment later, and she heard the bloodcurdling screams come from them as they screamed in agony at the flames searing their very souls.

"Their pain will never cease, Yuno" she barely heard Naruto say as she was too mesmerized by the sight of her parents writhing in the obsidian flames of Amaterasu. "And they shall forever burn for eternity."

She kept watching how the spirits of her parents were gnawed on by the vicious wyrms whose igneous blackness crawled all over their form, and relished in their tormented cries as she watched them almost in a trance.

Her attention was finally brought away from the burning spirits of her parents when she noticed the wall of purple flames that flickered into existence behind them.

A moment later, and her eyes were completely drawn to the hellish looking flames as she watched in awe while something emerged from their fiery midst.

It was a demonic looking head, with eyes identical to those of her beloved and with a menacing visage that she was certain it would have instilled fear within her being had she not already seen much more frightening creatures like the Jūbi.

She continued to inspect this entity and quickly noted that despite the dead giveaway, which was the black crown with the golden kanji reading _**Ō (King)**_ on its middle, its other articles of clothing definitely suggested toward a royal imagery.

Her attention was quickly shifted to its mouth when she noticed it unzip and open wide, and she watched in fascination as the two purple hand-like appendages it seemed to have for a tongue shot out in the direction of her writhing parents.

Upon reaching their destination, each tongue took a hold of one of the burning souls, before they dragged them back to the king's awaiting mouth, which immediately closed in their wake, moment when the head sunk back into the white floor until no trace of its previous existence was left behind.

It took Yuno the better part of a minute to finally snap out of her daze after having watched such a spectacle.

"Naruto..." she asked, feeling at a loss of words about what she had just witnessed. "What was... _that_?"

"That, my dear, was the King of Hell" she heard him calmly reply. "It is an entity which can store and transport souls and other things from and to any realm of existence. I reckon that it should be a proper place for _them_ to enjoy the rest of their eternity in."

She spent a few moments processing his words, before a gobsmacked expression settled on her face as she understood that she was faced with yet another mind boggling revelation about her beloved's power.

The King of Hell was definitely a fitting name for the entity that she had just seen devour the souls of her parents.

Speaking of which, she completely agreed with him on the matter of their fate, because it was indeed exactly what they deserved.

Finishing that train of thought, she glanced back at Naruto when she heard him speak again.

"And with this over as well, I believe that we are done with our stay in this place."

Following his words, she felt her perception of the world change as the realm of white around her was replaced by the familiar sight of her living room.

#######

As soon as she completely regained her awareness of the surroundings, Yuno noticed that she was standing in the embrace of her beloved, exactly in the same position how she remembered it before she had found herself inside his inner world.

However, any further observations were interrupted when she heard him address her, his tone carrying a distinct note of excitement that instantly spurred her curiosity.

"Now then, my dear, the time for us to be forever bound to one another has finally come."

As she listened to this, she quickly remembered her previous thoughts that she had been having on the same topic and she once again wondered how he would make it so that she would live forever alongside him.

However, she did not have too much success in finding an answer, because of the simple fact that she had insufficient knowledge on the subject of chakra as a whole.

She only knew the basics and several other bits that Naruto had told her, and even those mostly confused her with how incredible they seemed to be.

"But how?" she asked, as she had quickly realized that by doing as such, it would be the best option in this case.

"Simple" she heard him say, the excitement in his tone growing with every spoken word. "I shall grant you the gift of chakra."

Her eyes instantly widened as she registered that, and for a few moments her mind drew a blank as it simply continued to repeat those words over and over again.

But when she eventually finished processing his words, she immediately felt a wave of happiness wash over her as she realized the true implications and meaning of his words.

He would give her a part of his own being.

He would share his own power with her.

He would bestow her with something that she knew he had sworn to himself to never hand out again without extremely careful consideration.

The mere thought that he would do such a thing for her was enough to fill her with enough joy to make her forget about everything else besides the young man standing in front of her.

"Naruto..." she mouthed breathlessly, her eyes gazing lovingly in his violet ones as she felt overwhelmed by the emotions currently coursing through her.

For the next minute or so, she continued to just stare at him in silence as she slowly recovered from her emotional high.

By the time she regained her composure, her attention was brought to Naruto's forehead as she noticed the pale flesh split itself open, revealing the sight of the blood red eye with concentric circles and nine tomoe beneath.

She already knew that he also possessed the original dōjutsu, the most powerful one, the Rinne Sharingan, however, now that she was seeing it in person, she could only stare in wonder at its sight.

If she had previously thought that his Rinnegan was making her feel as though she was being judged and measured by its otherworldly gaze, then staring at this eye made her feel as if she was small and insignificant, like an ant when compared to the never-ending vastness of the universe.

But she knew that it was only her mind trying to comprehend that which her eyes were seeing, because she was more than certain that her beloved would never contemplate such a thing about her.

That train of thought was quickly brought to an end when she noticed something even more incredible than anything which she had witnessed during his tale occur.

She did not know how to put it in words, because she had absolutely no idea about what was truly happening, however, she could still try to describe the images that her eyes were taking in.

The world around her was somehow fading away, but in a different manner from what she had seen happen while in her beloved's mental world, because right now, her surroundings were slowly transitioning from the familiar sight of her living room into something that she was unable to properly discern yet.

It was like the very fabric of reality was unraveling at its seams while, at the same time, it was being interwoven with a different one that slowly began to replace the imagery of her surroundings.

The only coherent manner in which she could attempt to describe the currently transpiring events would be to say that her world was being replaced by a completely different one.

And with that thought aside, she immediately put an end to her musings, choosing instead to simply stare in fascination at the world around her as it was steadily changing in front of her very eyes.

#######

 **Meanwhile... [Cathedral of Causality]**

The relative silence of the purple tinted cathedral was interrupted when the entirety of the chamber was suddenly engulfed in complete darkness, which was almost immediately accompanied by a violent shaking of the ground.

"Boss, what did you _do_?!" came the distinctively feminine albeit childish voice of Murmur as she shouted in distress from a corner of the room.

In her response, a series of deep chuckles reverberated from the center of the cathedral.

"Dammit, Deus, this isn't funny!" Murmur raised her tone once again as she cried out in protest. "The ceiling is about to collapse, and I can barely dodge the falling debris, because there is no freaking light in here!

"Oh, Murmur, do not fret" Deus responded calmly as he tried to alleviate his subordinate's agitation. "The cathedral will hold, and besides, this is almost over."

Several moments after Deus had spoken, the illumination was returned within the cathedral and the tremors also stopped rocking the floor.

Murmur let out a relieved sigh as she dusted herself off, however, a look of horror quickly settled upon her features when she briefly inspected her surroundings.

To simply put it, the whole cathedral was in shambles.

The ceiling was riddled with holes and the missing chunks were spread all across the floor which was cracked in multiple places.

The diminutive girl sent a longing look toward the pile of magazines that had miraculously survived this entire ordeal, and she felt like crying when she realized just how long it would take her to fix all of the damage.

Fortunately, she was brought off the verge of her impending breakdown when she heard the deep voice of her superior sound from the middle of the chamber.

"Ah, Murmur, this is absolutely fantastic" the God of Space and Time voiced out in delight. "You truly have to see this."

Only for all of her previous woe to be replaced by irritation as she noticed how her superior did not even seem to acknowledge the destruction around himself as he was instead staring in fascination at the holographic screen before him.

"Goddammit, Deus!" she yelled at him in exasperation. "Can't you at least take something of this magnitude more seriously?

"Oh, but you are mistaken, Murmur" Deus replied with a knowing smile. "In this case, seriousness would be terribly misplaced and redundant, since it has no place in matters which incite only hopelessness."

The silver haired girl just stared blankly at her boss as she tried to figure out what he had meant with that.

The way he had spoken implied that he had nothing to do with the most recent events, which meant that the only remaining cause that she could think of was...

Her eyes instantly widened as a look of realization dawned on her face.

"Here, have a look at this."

Murmur turned her head almost mechanically to look at the enlarged screen, which was now floating in the middle of the room and displaying contents that made her wish to just go somewhere quiet to forget about everything besides her precious manga.

"Due to the massive interference, I have managed to pinpoint the exact location and obtained a brief recording of what had caused the blackout and earthquake from earlier."

The diminutive girl barely registered what her superior had just spoken, because she was too much in of a daze looking at the video feed in order to register anything else.

If what her eyes were seeing was true, which she knew it was because she was most definitely not hallucinating, then she had just seen that white haired young man briefly bring another dimension into contact with their own, as in literal contact.

It was so unbelievable that it was almost funny to her, and she couldn't do anything besides staring dumbstruck at the screen, until it was filled with static when the video registration ended.

"And imagine my surprise and delight when I witnessed such a marvel..."

Murmur was finally snapped out of her stupor when she registered the thrilled voice of her superior as it echoed throughout the recesses of the cathedral.

"Truly, our guest is one of a kind, is he not?"

The dark skinned girl quickly snapped her head in the direction of the God of Time and Space, who was sitting calmly on his throne and smirking as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened to his home.

"Deus, he moved an entire world! A goddamn universe!" she hissed. "He moved it atop ours and brought them together in a point for a few seconds..." she paused to take a deep breath as she felt some of her ire leave her. "Not even you can do that, boss, and you're the freaking God of Space and Time!"

"Exactly, Murmur!" Deus exclaimed in even more excitement. "That is why I have said that it had been marvelous, because such a feat is truly beyond anything that we had ever seen during our millennia of existence."

Murmur merely let out a tired sigh at Deus' words, before she turned around and began walking sluggishly toward her corner where she knew that her manga were patiently waiting for her.

"Alright, Deus... You can have your fun watching that _thing_ mess around in our universe, because I don't care anymore" she spoke without turning to look behind her as she raised a hand and lazily waved it at Deus. "Just don't bother me anymore if it is anything related to him, it—whatever, and don't somehow piss it off, because I really don't mind living for at least a few more thousand years..." a dry chuckle escaped her mouth at what she said next. "That, of course, if you manage to find someone crazy enough to deal with all of this crap in your place."

And following that, the diminutive girl completely ignored the amused chuckles that originated from her superior in response to her words as she focused instead on something that both entertained and relaxed her at the same time, without actually giving her headaches the likes of which she got in spades from Deus' daily shenanigans.

#######

 **Back with Naruto and Yuno... [Amenominaka Core Dimension]**

Yuno stared in awe at the world which welcomed her after her surroundings had stopped shifting.

It was a seemingly endless expanse of canyons, hills and mountains, with a clear sky and a bright sun shining over the entirety of the landscape.

"What is this place?" she asked as she glanced at Naruto, her eyes glinting in curiosity. "And what was _that_ from before?"

"This is one of the six personal dimensions that my mother had created a long time ago, the Amenominaka core dimension" she heard him reply as he once again slipped in his didactic tone. "As for your second inquiry, well, that had been the slower variant of utilizing Amenominaka."

Hearing this reminded her of when he had told her about his ability to create dimensions, which spurred her curiosity even more.

"Slower? But it still only took around five seconds to transport us here..." she spoke.

"Ah, that would be the case this time, because I had slowed it down even further in order to show you the process in more detail" her eyes widened at his explanation. "Normally, even through the 'slower' method, it takes roughly one second for the transfer, whereas through the 'regular' method, the transfer is instantaneous."

She stared with almost disbelieving eyes at him as she contemplated on his words.

If he called a one second delay 'slow', then she could only wonder about what he actually considered fast.

She knew that he could easily move at incredible speeds, as she had seen from his various fights during his tale, however, she had no idea about how fast he could truly get.

Not to mention the fact that those feats were in regard to him using pure speed, without things such as this Amenominaka technique that apparently allowed him to travel in a way akin to teleportation.

"I see..." she voiced in understanding, before she posed another question, since she had gotten quite curious about the principles behind this ability of his. "But how does it exactly work, anyway? Is it some sort of teleportation?"

Yet, when she heard him chuckle in response to her words, she wondered if it might have not been better had she not decided to question any further on this topic.

"Oh, my dear, this technique is so much more than mere teleportation" hearing his telling tone, she braced herself for the mind-boggling explanation that she knew would come. "While it can indeed function as 'teleportation' on its most basic level, the true nature of Amenominaka lies within its ability to alter the world by manipulating the fabric of space-time and reality down to its most intimate level."

But even with her mostly knowing what she should have been expecting, his actual explanation still surprised her greatly.

"What I did earlier was bring this dimension we now reside in so close to your own universe that the fabric of space-time from both worlds joined in a point for a few moments, thus allowing the transfer to be made."

Surprise which turned to shock the moment she registered the last part.

The name of this technique was surely a very fitting one.

This ability was clearly another one worthy of being placed in a similar league with the truth-seeking orbs, because it was as mind-blowing as those black balls of doom were.

Seriously, to have the power to move entire worlds on a whim...

The world was literally in his palm and he acted like he didn't even care about that fact.

She giggled at that thought, since it reminded her once again of the many observations that she had made about her beloved during the time she had spent listening to his storytelling and watching the events from his life.

Her Naruto was quite the peculiar individual in how he seemed to enjoy adding a theatrical side to almost everything that he did or spoke.

But she didn't mind it in the very least, because it was one of the many things which made him so unique to her.

Besides, she actually found it to be quite funny herself and thought that she might enjoy it if she were to join him in one of those instances.

Her musings were brought to an end when she heard his voice once again.

"But enough with the exposition, as I can hardly wait any longer for what is to come next" she felt excitement well up inside her as she heard that. "And I am very much certain that you can barely wait, as well."

Following his words, Yuno watched as his clothes began to rapidly shift until they turned from his usual dress shirt, jacket and trousers into the white robe that she had become accustomed to during the past few hours.

She quickly noticed how the dark crescent moon and bright sun marks on his palms began to shine brightly in their respective colors as he brought his hands close to her face.

She observed with curious eyes as he offered her an elated smile which made her heart skip a beat, before he placed his gloved hand on her right cheek and his other hand on her back in the place where she knew her heart to be located.

Her heart began to beat faster when she noticed him slowly lean in closer to her as she realized that it was the first time when he initiated a kiss between them.

She watched his face get closer and closer to her own, and with every inch he moved, she felt more and more excitement and warmth fill her.

And when his pale lips were less than a few inches away from hers, she noticed them move as he mouthed two words which she now knew they carried within the power to bend the world.

" **Banbutsu Sōzō (Creation of All Things)."**

And with that, she barely had any time to register the brilliant black and white flames of pure chakra that blossomed from each of his palms, before she felt _it_.

An incredible flood of warmth like nothing else she had ever felt instantly filled her being.

Empowering. Intoxicating. Sublime.

It was all of that and so much more.

The feeling was so intense that she swore it reached her very soul.

And the sensation of his lips tenderly pressing against her own as he kissed her made it impossible for her to hold back the moan that had threatened to escape her mouth in the wake of such an experience.

Several moments passed while Yuno continued to bask in the exquisite sensations that she was experiencing, before she felt the warmth slowly dissipate yet never completely disappear as most of it was quickly getting replaced by another indescribable feeling.

It was, in a way, similar to the previous warmth, but it was still different enough to be perceived as entirely something else.

It was a breathtaking feeling that was gradually overwhelming her, encompassing her and coursing deeply through her, as though it was flowing directly into her soul.

Even after an entire minute of experiencing this magnificent sensation, she was still unable to properly put it into words.

The best that she could do was try to liken it to something else, such as the pleasant warmth that a fire gives off on a cold day of winter, or the refreshing coldness that a cool breeze fills you with when it brushes past you on a torrid summer day.

Yuno closed her eyes as she relished in the delightful sensations coursing through her being and brought her own arms around Naruto's neck as she leaned closer to him and deepened the kiss.

A few more moments passed while she continued to enjoy both the kiss with her beloved and the incredible feeling which was steadily flowing through her, before she eventually opened her eyes, only to be met with the familiar yet slightly different sight of her beloved's mental world as she found herself floating alongside him, a considerable height above the water beneath.

Most of the world was the same as she remembered it, with it being an endless ocean, continued above by a beautiful starry sky and a gigantic moon and sun, however, there seemed to be an addition that she was certain to have not been present the last time when she had seen this place.

It appeared to be an island of sort in the middle of the never-ending ocean, but as she began to descend while still in the embrace of her beloved, a gasp left her mouth as she quickly realized it to be her own mental world, or rather a very big part of it.

And upon an even closer inspection, she noticed that it was different from what she remembered it to be, since now the grass was silver and ethereal and the entire expanse of the meadow was filled with thousands of silvery manifestations, among which the most notable were the many butterflies flying from large impressive flowers to another.

Yuno took a few moments to admire the beautiful meadow that was coated in a silvery hue, before her gaze returned back on her beloved's smiling face, moment when she felt that indescribable feeling within her blossom at the same time when she locked eyes with him.

"It is wonderful, my love, is it not?"

As she heard him say that, she felt her own feelings for him soar when she registered the way he had addressed her.

"Yes, Naruto, it is..." she replied in utter delight at what she was experiencing. "But what is it exactly? This indescribable warm feeling flowing deeply inside me and the feeling of protective warmth itself that I can feel as though it is a part of me?"

"That warmth is how you perceive the chakra that I gifted you, which is now yours as another extension of your being. If you concentrate on it, then you should be able to feel it much better and to an ever greater detail."

Hearing his words, she did as suggested and began to marvel at the feeling of her own chakra.

However, less than a few moments later, and she began to realize something both peculiar and shocking, something that she had not noticed until now due to the overwhelming feelings that were coursing through her.

But now that she had got slightly accustomed to these sensations, her mind was once more capable of focusing on other things as well, and thus, she immediately became aware of the fact that she seemed to be able to grasp the very nature of her chakra like it was an innate ability of sorts.

It was like she somehow knew everything that her chakra could do and comprehend how it operated in relation to all universal things.

There was a lot of information in her mind she was certain that she had never had until now, yet could swear that it felt as if she had been born with it.

It was truly a peculiar thing.

"If you are wondering about why you seem to know out of a sudden how chakra works on such an intimate level, then that is because I had also bestowed you with an universal comprehension of chakra when I had transferred part of my own power to you."

She took a moment to process what she had just heard, before her eyes widened at the revelation.

So he had not only gifted her with chakra, but he and also given her the complete understanding to utilize it?

She could find no words within herself to express how she felt in the face of such an act.

Not only had he given her more than she could have ever wished for, but he had actually given her even more beyond that.

It was simply unbelievable, and it left her speechless.

Eventually deciding to make sure of something, she thought back to the concepts about chakra that had been troubling her when she had first learnt of them, and was pleasantly surprised when she realized that now she could understand them on an instinctive level.

Her attention was brought back to her beloved when she heard his pleasant voice once again.

"As for that indescribable feeling which you feel coursing deep through your being..." she listened with rapt attention to what he said, since she had been wondering about it this whole time. "That is how you actually perceive my feelings, and how I can also perceive yours. And if you try to focus on that feeling, then you should be able to differentiate between each one of the emotions."

As soon as she registered those words and understood their implications, a massive flood of overwhelming warmth washed over her as her love for him surged even further.

She would have never thought that he would do something like this for her, but now that she thought about it, she was able to see the subtle allusions that he had made so far in regard to this very moment, out of which the most prominent would be the one where he had spoken about how mere words were transient and insubstantial if not paired with a deep understanding of other's values and selves.

After the initial rush of emotion had subsided, Yuno decided to follow Naruto's advice and began to focus on that feeling as she looked for a particular aspect of it.

And when she finally found it, she was unable to keep the expression of pure joy from blossoming on her face as she _felt_ the full extent of the love that her beloved held for her.

It was incredible. His love for her was so intense that it left her breathless.

Her ability to actually sense his feelings was breathtaking, just as she had thought the first time she had acquired it.

Words simply could not describe that feeling of being able to sense his very emotions as if they were a part of her. Or how happy it made her to be able to do such a thing.

It was an addicting feeling, and she was certain that she would never be able to get enough of it. Especially now that she knew he also could do the same in regard to her own feelings, because it meant that their feelings would amplify themselves from one to the other.

"But... how? How is such a thing possible, Naruto?" Yuno finally spoke, her tone almost disbelieving as she had absolutely no idea how he had done such a thing. Her knowledge on chakra did not include anything of the sort.

"It is simple, my love" she heard him reply as she gave her undivided attention to his words. "What I had done is based on the principle behind ninshū, however, in this case, instead of using chakra to connect spiritual energies, I used it to connect our very souls. Our chakra acts as a bridge between our souls, which essentially allows us to feel each other's emotions and to communicate telepathically. Of course, many more feats can be achieved by using the chakra itself, however these two are the most basic fea—mmphhh."

This time, Yuno did not allow him to slip any further into his didactic persona, because she had heard everything that she had needed to in order to understand, but also because she wanted to both tell and show him what she thought about his gift.

Besides, she had promised herself a while ago that she would kiss him senselessly, so she needed to keep her word.

So she proceeded to do just that, and for the next few minutes she prevented him from uttering even a syllable by keeping his mouth covered with her own as she made sure to convey the full extent of her feeling both through the kiss and the soul bond that she had just learnt of.

By the time she leant back from the kiss, her cheeks were covered with a faint red dusting and her breathing was slightly heavier, however, oddly enough not from a lack of air, but due to other reasons.

"So, as I was saying before you have interrupted me," she made sure to look at him in a way that clearly told him how sorry she was not about doing that, "there are a few more things that I would like to mention regarding my gift to you."

Yuno listened with careful attention to his words as she also found herself curious at what else he had done.

"The first thing has to do with this world," she noticed him indicate to their surroundings with a sweeping gesture, "which is neither of our actual mental worlds, but rather a completely different one which exists at the junction of our souls. It was created when I bound our spirits together, and it represents a deeper level of consciousness that only you and I can access, and where no outside interference can ever manifest. Just imagine yourself delving deeper within your mind while focusing on the feeling of my emotions, and you should find yourself in here, a place where we can meet regardless of our locations."

She stared at him with wide eyes as she took in the entirety of his explanation.

Now she was certain that with the addition of this thing, they were as closest as two entities could ever get while still maintaining their individuality.

This height of closeness that they had reached was so beautiful that she could not find the words to describe it. And it also made her oh so happy, especially now when she knew what it meant whenever she felt that indescribable feeling get stronger in intensity, like how it was happening right now while she was having these very thoughts.

"Am I to worry now that you will be reading my mind, darling?" she asked jokingly and with a teasing smile forming on her lips.

"Only if you wish of me to, my love, because I would never dare do such a thing without your consent" she found herself smiling genuinely as she listened to his words, her previous mischievousness gone as it was replaced by even more happiness. "I had never done it up to this very moment, and I shall never infringe upon your privacy... unless you want me to, of course."

The last part caught her off guard, as he had suddenly leant in closer and whispered it directly in her ear.

She felt a blush rapidly creeping on her face, and only with a truly great effort she was capable of suppressing it.

"I-I see" she managed to speak with only a small waver of her voice as she tried not to break eye contact with him.

"Good" she heard him say, before his eyes regained their serious gaze as he continued. "Now, the second thing has to do with your appearance, because by gifting you with such a substantial part of my power, your body has had to undergo a slight change in order to adapt to housing such immense power."

Her eyebrows shot almost to her hairline when she heard this, and she quickly looked down at her reflection in the water, only to release a surprised gasp at what she saw.

Her general features were mostly the same, with the exception of her slightly paler skin and the fact that she looked as if she had aged three or four years, because there were some very _telling_ signs of her increased physical age.

Still, she did not mind the definite improvement, because while she was certain that Naruto would have not thought differently of her regardless of how she looked like, the fact that she now possessed a much more _enticing_ figure should be considered a boon in the near future.

But besides that, there was also the matter of the two ivory horns protruding from her slightly longer rose colored hair, as well as the clothing that she now wore, which reminded her a lot of the hime-kimono that she had seen Kaguya wear, with how similar it was to it.

In the case of the former, she quickly realized that they were the result of a bloodline related to the manipulation of ones bones, so she used that ability in order to make the pair of horns recede back into her scalp, because she did not currently feel like having them on display.

As for the latter, she understood that the clothing was actually made of chakra, and that she could manipulate it at will should she desire as such.

A moment later, she glanced back at Naruto and spoke with a happy smile.

"I like it."

She heard him chuckle at her words, before he gave her his response.

"I'm glad" she giggled at his reply. "Also, don't forget about your third eye. Or the byakugan, for that matter."

Yuno stared at his amused smile for a few moments as she processed his words, before her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that she had also obtained those two dōjutsu from his gift of chakra.

She quickly searched through her knowledge on chakra for what she needed to know in order to utilize these ocular techniques, before she focused her chakra in both of her eyes and the center of her forehead, moment when she felt her visual perception of the world drastically change.

With her byakugan she seemed to have become able to see everywhere and everything around her for _miles_ away, through solid objects, and to also magnify if needed.

Yet, what fascinated her most, was when she looked at Naruto and instantly noticed the endless ocean of white flames housed within his being, which she quickly understood to be his own chakra.

Curiously, she shifted her focus upon her own body and observed how she possessed a great rose colored blaze within herself as well.

However, when she focused on the vision from her third eye, she quickly realized that there were some very distinguishable differences between the two dōjutsu, because while the Rinne Sharingan did not possess the same ability when it came to viewing chakra or at distance and through solid objects, it most certainly offered a clarity of detail so incredible alongside a perception of the world to such a degree that she could perceive the world as frozen in time if she actually tried to do as such.

Deciding that she has had enough of the dōjutsu for the time being, she cut off the chakra flow from both of them and allowed them to fade, in the case of her two eyes, or for the skin to stitch itself back, in the case of her third eye.

"These dōjutsu are incredible, but I think that it might take me a little while to get used to seeing the world in such great detail" she voiced in fascination. "It feels like I had been looking at the world through frosted glass whenever I activate one of those ocular techniques, especially the Rinne Sharingan, in which case it makes it look as if I had been blind for my entire life."

"That is a very interesting manner of describing the dramatic increase in visual acuity provided by dōjutsu" she heard him say with a chuckle. "Anyway, the third and last thing that I want to tell you about has to do with the ring that I had given you a week ago."

She quickly brought her left hand closer to her eye level, before she glanced at the golden accessory present on her ring finger as she inspected it.

Her mind quickly supplied the fact that the ring was made out of chakra and empowered through something called the _**Outer Path**_ , however, she overlooked that piece of information in favor of the more important part, which was the added inscription on the opposite side of the initial _'Know Thyself'_ one.

And this new addition read _'Ōtsutsuki Yuno'_.

As soon as she registered those words inscribed in ornate letters, she was unable to prevent the tears pooling in her eyes from falling down her cheeks as she began to softly cry in happiness.

She had realized that this joining of their souls had been akin to a marriage yet infinitely beyond one in scope, however, now that she saw a solid proof of it, as well as him acknowledging their union, she was brought to tears by how happy she felt.

"As you have noticed to be inscribed on the ring, you are now mine and mine alone, just as I am yours and yours alone..." she could feel his feelings for her increase greatly as he continued to speak in an unwavering and fervent tone. "We belong to each other and we shall remain together forevermore, inseparable by anything in all of creation, for we exist beyond all else."

Her response to his passionate statement was to embrace him in a tight hug as an even greater happiness overcame her.

She stood with her arms wrapped around his form for the better part of the next minute, time during which she managed to stop shedding any more tears.

"I love you, my Naruto..." she spoke in a whisper as she leant back from the hug, her cerise eyes staring deeply into his violet ones. "I love you so much."

"I know..." she heard him reply in a gentle voice. "And I love you just as much, my Yuno."

And with that, she leant in and gave him another kiss, this one, however, being more tender as she simply relished in their shared feelings.

By the time when she pulled back from the kiss and opened her eyes, she noticed that she was once more back to that mountainous world, but also that she was beginning to feel quite tired, however, not in the usual physical sense that one might naturally feel after a long day of activity, because physically, she could have not been any better with how energetic she currently felt.

Instead, her tiredness seemed to be of a more psychical nature, which should have not been the case, given how even the mental fatigue had supposedly physical roots.

Yet, she still felt as if her mind was incredibly tired, while her body was ready to run around the earth a couple times and still have plenty of energy left in order to do it a few hundred more times.

Yuno blinked drowsily and glanced at Naruto, who was looking at her with an amused smile.

"Don't worry, love" she heard him immediately say and felt reassured at his words. "This is a normal reaction of your psyche to such a sudden influx of power. You should be fine by morning, especially if you actually sleep, even though you might not biologically need such a thing anymore."

She just nodded tiredly at his words as she decided to put to test one of the things that her beloved had told her earlier.

She focused on the link that she could feel between them with her chakra and projected several words through it.

Not even a moment later, and she allowed a content smile to settle on her lips as she felt him lift her tenderly and carry her in his arms as if she were a princess.

"Oh, and there is one more thing, which I had almost forgotten..." she vaguely heard him say as she nestled herself comfortably in his arms. "This has to do with the ability of sensing another's chakra. It should come instinctively to you, however, for you to be able to do it in the first place, you need to first focus your chakra and then use it as a medium to locate and identify the chakra of another."

"Uh-huh..." she spoke sleepily, heedless of his following chuckles as she closed her eyes, basking in the comfort of his embrace and the pleasant warmth of his feelings.

Not long after that, she dozed off in his arms and missed the sight of him returning them to her world as he carried her out of the living room in the search of her bedroom.

#######

Naruto carefully placed Yuno on her bed and stood next to her as he watched her sleep peacefully with a smile on his visage.

He slowly reached for her face and tucked away a stray strand of her rosy hair, before he caressed her right cheek tenderly.

"At long last..." he whispered in a barely audible voice as he continued to gaze at his love's sleeping face. "...my wish is fulfilled."

His expression softened when he felt her emotions grow in response to his words.

This bond that he had created between her soul and his own was a beautiful thing.

It allowed him to feel her heart and spirit as if they were an extension of his own being, just as she could do for him.

It was simply marvelous how they could share their feelings with each other regardless of whatever physical barriers there might be between them.

Even when worlds apart, they would still be able to feel each other as if they were mere inches away.

Such was the power behind his ninshū.

Yet, in this case, even that initial concept of 'bonds' was transcended, for there existed truly nothing else in all of creation that could ever come close to compare to what he had done for her.

Such was the strength of their bond. So absolute that nothing could ever hope to sever it.

There was no longer anything that could truly ever stand between them anymore...

...and that thought brought great joy to him.

He sent another glance to her face, and noticed how a small smile has found its way on her lips.

It seemed that she was enjoying her dream, and he truly did not need to think very hard to realize about who she was dreaming.

This brought another smile on his face, and he idly wondered how long it had been since he had last slept himself.

It must have been at least two weeks, because after his Ascension he had no longer needed such a thing as sleep.

However, now that he looked at his love as she slept so peacefully, he wondered if he should not try and enjoy this activity once more.

He should be able to sleep, or at least enter a similar altered state of consciousness if he so wished.

Deciding that he did not exactly have anything better to do than sleeping alongside his beloved for a few hours, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind of any thoughts.

He then relaxed, and not long after, he felt the familiar pull at his consciousness as he slowly began to drift away to sleep.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **A.N:**

 **First of all, as you must have surely noticed, this chapter is big, very, very big.**

 **I had never actually thought that it would get to such a length, however, as I wrote it, it just... grew...**

 **Anyway, I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter as much as I did while writing it.**

 **Secondly, I would like to mention that from this point onward, we are nearing the conclusion of the story.**

 **This chapter had been the climax for all of the buildup in the story so far, and all that remains now is for the loose ends to be tied. Which will happen in the next chapter, because the one after that shall be the Epilogue.**

 **Still, this does not mean that there won't be some surprises left down the road. I'm certain that a lot of you will find them to be quite enjoyable. And besides, while this story might come to an end, the story of Naruto and Yuno shall definitely continue, as I have already planned a sequel. It will be a crossover with Highschool DxD, because I had always wanted to mess around with that universe. And beyond this sequel, which will most likely come out sometime in July, I have two more ideas for even further sequels. But let us not get carried that far, since I have yet to actually finish this story.**

 **Also, I would like to once again thank everyone who had shown their support for the story. It makes me glad to know that you have found it to be so entertaining.**

 **And lastly, the length of this chapter had been an exception, because I needed to cover a lot of things in it (most of which had been the 'tale' that Naruto had narrated for Yuno), so do not expect monstrous chapters such as this one on a regular basis. If it happens, it happens, but I won't be aiming to write such lengthy ones, because it is very mentally draining.**

 **And with that being said, I will see you my readers probably in May or something, because the next three weeks are going to be filled with papers and assignments and whatnot for university.**

 **Until now, things had been going rather smoothly, which is exactly why I had been able to get such an enormous chapter out so fast. I had been able to dedicate the past two weeks and a half to just writing this whenever I had some free time. But with what will be coming in these next few weeks, there will be little to no free time for me, so I won't be able to write for a while.**

 **But don't worry, because I will definitely make good use of the Easter holiday at the beginning of May.**

 **So, until then, my dear readers.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

########

 **Chapter 7: The Almighty**

A fleeting thought went through Naruto's mind as he inspected the place where he had just found himself after drifting off to sleep.

Was he perhaps dreaming?

He did not recognize his surroundings, however, there was a peculiar feeling to them, as though they held a sort of familiarity to him.

His eyes continued to sweep throughout his vicinity and they slightly widened when he took notice of a rather surprising sight.

Leading a group comprised of several dozen silver haired men and women dressed in very familiar looking garments was a regal looking woman whose name he would never forget.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. His mother.

Realization dawned upon him not long after that thought had left him.

He was indeed dreaming, however, what his eyes were currently seeing was no product of his own mind.

This was no conjuration based on his imagination.

The odd feelings of familiarity which accompanied every observation that he made on his surroundings had quickly turned out to be a dead giveaway to him.

He was dreaming, but this was not a dream.

No...

This was a memory...

...a memory belonging to...

...his mother.

And following his acknowledgement, his eyes instantly widened even further as he felt numerous other memories rapidly resurface to his mind.

He idly noted that the scenery around him quickly froze in time as he continued to gaze in surprise at the unmoving manifestation of his mother.

The memories that he had just experienced in a rapid succession had left him greatly surprised but also reflective through the realization they had brought him.

It seemed that some of the things he knew about his mother's past were either incorrect or incomplete, with them spanning from the very moment when she had arrived with her clan on Earth.

Not to mention the entire history that belonged to her life prior to her arrival to the Elemental Nations.

However, before he could have mused further, he was interrupted when he heard a very familiar voice call to him in concern.

"Naruto, are you alright?"

He turned around and regarded the beautiful form of his beloved wife as he once again marveled at the pinnacle of 'bonds' that he had created between them through his earlier intervention.

Her reason for being here was as clear as day to him.

She must have definitely felt the sudden shift in his emotions during her dream and had unconsciously joined him in his own mind, something which explained his dream ending several moments prior, since it had happened due to her arrival inside his mind.

But that last part was not much of a concern or importance to him, for it paled in front of the conclusion that he had quickly reached.

He had felt and could still feel the love that she held for him and it was simply breathtaking, however, he had never imagined that it ran so deep that it persisted even while she slept.

To think she loved him so much that she was projecting those feelings on a subconscious level through their bond... it simply left him speechless and awed.

"Yes, my love..." he spoke softly as he took several steps until he was only a few inches apart from her, moment when he pulled her into an affectionate hug and placed a tender kiss on her head.

"However..."

He added, leaning back from the hug as he noticed how her previous radiant smile was slowly replaced by a curious expression.

"I might have to retell you several parts of my story, since they had just been slightly... altered."

He watched how her expression became even more curious as she most likely wondered about the reasons behind his previous statement.

"What do you mean, Naruto? What happened?"

He offered a slightly amused smile at her words, before he voiced his thoughts.

"Well, I had just realized that my knowledge on the history of my world had not been completely accurate."

He gently brought her on his lap as he began levitating a couple feet above the unmoving landscape, before he assumed the didactic tone which he knew from his previous experience that it would amuse her.

"You see, like I had told you earlier, some parts of my tale had been weaved from stories that my mother had told me and my brother" he began, his smile growing when he heard her giggle in response to his tone. "However, it seems that my mother had slightly embellished some of those stories..."

He met her curious gaze with his own amused one for a couple moments, before he continued his explanation.

"I might have not shown you that part, but right after I had sealed the Jūbi within me for the second time, I used my _Human Path_ to split my mother's soul from her power and body and sent it to its eternal rest in the Pure Realm."

He noticed how an expression of realization was slowly settling on her features while he spoke further.

"And as you are certainly aware now, that had led to me acquiring all of her memories..."

He paused briefly as his features became more solemn.

"Yet, due to the immense respect that I hold for her, I did not dare intrude upon the intimacy of her memories, so I made sure that I would not come to assimilate them by banishing them all in the deepest part of my mind."

His voice regained its amused note as he said the next part.

"However, there had been one aspect which I had not taken into consideration at that time..."

His previous smile slowly returned on his lips.

"I had never thought that all of these memories would actually resurface through a dream, especially when I knew that sleep was no longer something that I should concern myself with."

He let out a chuckle at his lack of foresight at that time, however, he quickly reasoned that there had been many other variables which had led to this outcome, so there was truly no use for him to dwell on this occurrence any further.

Besides, if he actually wanted to see into the future, then he could just bring his precognitive abilities to their maximum, instead of only keeping them barely above what most would call a 'sixth sense'.

Although, he knew better than to do such a thing without a clear intention in mind, because he was not one to enjoy so much the state of absolute omniscience.

Not when the sole thing that such a thing would bring was absolute boredom.

After all, a life without at least a bit of unpredictability to it would definitely be a dull life.

"And that is the reason for why my emotions had suddenly fluctuated earlier" he concluded as he returned from his previous musings. "Because I had been surprised when all of those memories had rushed back into my conscious mind."

He noticed how a thoughtful expression briefly crossed her features, before he heard her say something that he had been expecting to hear.

"But are you alright with it? With learning her memories even though you initially went to such lengths in order to prevent it from actually happening?"

He looked at her concerned face for a few moments, before he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, my love" he voiced in a comforting tone. "At first I might have felt rather disquieted at such a thought, however, now that I have thoroughly analyzed what I had learnt, I can say with certitude that the reward had definitely compensated for the risks."

A mixture of happiness and relief could be seen reflected in his eyes when he noticed that he had managed to ease her worries.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" he heard her ask in an inquisitive tone.

"While there had been some very interesting things that I have learnt from my mother's memories, there had also been some things of a more crucial nature which I am now glad to have been made aware of" he explained.

"You see, for all of the incredible might that my mother possessed, she was actually afraid of one thing..."

His tone became more serious in preparation for the important piece of information that he was about to reveal.

"She feared the arrival of her enemies."

Hearing her gasp at the revelation, he paused for a few moments in order to let her finish processing what he had just told her.

"Although, calling them enemies would not be completely accurate, since they were not after her per-se, but rather after her chakra" he added as he felt that a clarification was required. "So, that should make them thieves more than actual enemies, but nonetheless, still a threat."

When he was done talking, he began waiting for the eventual questions that he was certain his love would be asking as soon as she was done internalizing his previous words.

"Who are they?" he heard her voice in questioning not long after. "And how strong could they be that they had posed such a threat to someone as powerful as your mother?"

"Well, in order to properly explain that, I will first need to make you aware of the several changes to my mother's history..." he replied as he willed the world around himself and his beloved to shift back to the familiar scenery of his mind-scape.

########

"As you already know, my mother and her followers had come to my world's version of Earth in order to take the chakra fruit of the Shinju" he began as he slowly slipped back into his didactic persona. "However, her followers at that time had not comprised the entirety of the clan."

A smile formed on his lips as he realized something quite amusing about what he was about to say.

"In reality, the members of the Ōtsutsuki clan were actually traveling in separate groups through the dimensions as they sought a world with a Shinju whose fruit they could harvest."

Based on what he had seen in his mother's memories regarding the history of his clan, he could jestingly say that the Ōtsutsuki had been some kind of alien space farmers with how zealously they pursued the Shinju through different realms and ages in order to harvest its fruit for the powerful chakra that it granted.

And in his mother's case, even protective gardeners, if he were to take into account some of the instances where she had referred to the world housing the Shinju as her nursery.

A chuckle escaped his lips at that thought, however, he had to leave those musings for another time when he quickly heard the slightly confused voice of his love as she asked him a question in response to his previous statement.

"Wait... there has been more than one Shinju?"

"It seems so, my dear, and it quite makes sense, given the prerequisites for one to emerge" he explained. "Now, returning back to the topic, one of these groups had been under the direct command of the head of the clan at that time, my mother, and they had found the Shinju on Earth, where they had also eventually settled. And following this, the history is the same as I had told you before, but only until a certain point..."

He paused for a moment as he gathered his thoughts, before he continued in an even voice.

"Remember how I told you that me and my brother were unsure of the exact motive that had prompted our mother to spiral down toward madness?"

Seeing her quickly nod in response, he added.

"Well, it turns out that those reasons I had enumerated had been only the more minor ones, since the true reason for her madness had lain within a very unpleasant discovery on my mother's part."

At this, his tone became more serious.

"You see, at some point during the second decade after we had been born, my mother had found out that two individuals were planning to come to Earth in order to steal her chakra."

The look of realization that began to form on her face told him that she had made the connections and understood what he was about to say.

"These two individuals were actually Ōtsutsuki descendants from one of those aforementioned groups, who had found a Shinju for themselves in a nearby dimension where they had remained in order to harvest it down to its last bit of chakra."

A serious note entered his voice as he spoke next.

"And the true reason for why my mother had been so afraid of them had not been their might, which did not truly come close to her own, but rather the particular ability that one of them possessed, which allowed him to absorb techniques and return them with twice as much power" he revealed. "A skill that had undoubtedly made for quite the threat to someone who relied so heavily on her chakra techniques in order to fight her enemies like my mother did."

He could understand the reason for why his mother had been so troubled at the thought of her confrontation with these two individuals.

She might have had the overwhelming power, however, she had been rather outmatched in the technique department.

Although, now that he thought better on this matter, he could not understand why she had not eventually overcome her fear, since she should have definitely been capable of absorbing and redirecting techniques herself. Her dōjutsu would have easily allowed her to do just that, after all.

The answer to that quickly came to him after he contemplated for a little longer, and despite the immense respect that he held for her, he realized that he could not deny one simple fact.

His mother had been a very, very poor strategist, something which he could not completely fault her for, since she had first and foremost been a princess, not a warrior.

But still, that did not mean she could have not at least bothered to understand the concept of tactics on a basic level, because honestly, her plan that involved the creation of a White Zetsu army in order to help her combat those two had been utterly ludicrous.

Not to mention the glaring fact that she seemed to have forgotten of her own abilities when she had devised her plan regarding those two.

In the end, he decided to agree on the fact that it had been her clouded mind at that time which had accounted for most of these errors in her judgement, because he could not exactly find any other reason besides that and her lack of a tactical approach.

Bringing his musings to an end, he focused back on the explanation that he had been offering to his love, before he continued from where he had left off.

"So, this discovery on my mother's part coupled with her already budding obsession with chakra and her realizations regarding mankind had been what had prompted such a drastic change to occur in her behavior."

As soon as he was finished speaking, he sensed a spike in Yuno's emotions and when he glanced at her face, he quickly noted the anger trapped beneath her eyes, as well as the faint snarl marring her beautiful visage.

"So... _they_ had been the reason why you had gone through so much pain because of your fight with your mother...?"

He heard her whisper and he truly did not need to sense for her emotions through their bond in order to know how furious she currently was, because the malice dripping from her voice was enough to let him know just that.

"Yuno, please keep in mind the fact that despite their great involvement in my mother's unfortunate end, they had been one of the many things that had lead to _this_ present" he quickly spoke, intent on assuaging her anger.

It brought him great joy to know and feel how much she cared for him, however, he knew that in this case, as well as in the case of the other occurrences so far, there was no room for looking back or wishing for a different outcome.

Everything that had transpired in the past had done as such with a clear purpose, and the sum of those events had led to the wonderful present that he was currently experiencing.

He would never trade any of _this_ for the mere avoidance of a long gone period of sadness and sorrow in his life.

A small smile settled on his visage when he noticed that she seemed to have understood what he had tried to tell her through his previous words.

That, while understandable, her desire for retribution was rather misplaced for the time being, since he would not judge those two based solely on their past actions, because those had been essential to the creation of this very present, something which he was admittedly grateful for.

Instead, he would first listen to their reasoning, and only after he was done assessing them, he would make his judgement.

Ending his brief contemplation, he met his love's eyes as he voiced in a firm tone.

"I am going to allow those two to explain themselves, before I actually decide upon what to do regarding their actions."

"I see..." he heard her reply in a rather disheartened tone, which made him realize that he should have worded his previous statement in a less ambiguous manner, because it seemed that she had misunderstood something.

"But should they fail to make use of that sole chance..." he quickly added in clarification. "Then I shall gladly join you in delivering their punishment."

He might have been lenient with their past transgressions due to the specific circumstances, however, he would not do such a thing again. Especially not now, when they could turn out to be a threat to what he held dear. A rather insignificant one, but still a threat, nonetheless.

"They might be distant relatives to me, however, you are my better half, the one whom I love with all of my soul and for whom I would do anything and everything" he uttered in an unwavering voice and instantly felt through their bond the response his words had stirred in his beloved.

" _Naruto..._ "

He heard her breathe out in something akin to a passionate moan and had roughly a second to admire the euphoric expression on her face, before he felt her soft lips upon his own as she draped her arms around his neck and brought him closer to her.

Her actions quickly set his heart ablaze with his own passion for her, and for the next few minutes, he focused on nothing else but the beautiful goddess in his arms as he delighted himself in the titillating dance of their tongues.

When they finally ended their passionate kiss, he spent several moments simply gazing at her flushed face and listening to her labored breathing, before he spoke with a content smile.

"So we shall simply wait for the moment when those two finally come to the Elemental Nations, because I am certain that they will be coming after they had sensed my chakra during my Ascension from two weeks prior."

"Okay, Naruto..." he heard her reply as she sounded still slightly breathless from their previous activity.

"Now then, I believe it is time for us to return back to the real world, as it is already mor—" he started to say, however, was interrupted toward the end when he felt a sudden influx of memories enter his mind.

Not even a moment later, and a frown immediately settled on his visage as he began going through the memories that he had just received.

It seemed that his fellow clansmen had arrived sooner than he had been expecting them to, and that they had also met the clone he had left behind in charge of his world.

His frown became more accentuated as he delved deeper into the clone's memories and he felt a mixture of disappointment and disgust at its actions while he viewed its behavior ever since his departure.

He was aware of the fact that he had bestowed his clone with individuality and had allowed it to further develop said personal identity, however, he had never imagined that it would go as far as acting like mankind's obedient babysitter.

It was repulsive to him how his clone had degenerated from the clear set of rules that he had imparted to it, to such a pitiable state in which it basically catered to the every whim of humanity.

A dry chuckle escaped his mouth when he went once more over the memories of its encounter with those two Ōtsutsuki.

It had started on relatively civil terms, until his clone had inquired for the reason of their presence and was answered by the one with a more youthful appearance.

Apparently, they had not been aware of the events that had transpired ever since his mother had arrived with her followers on his world, so they had requested for Kaguya's presence.

What followed after that, served as another shameful stain on his mind, as his clone had continued to act in a completely unbecoming manner to its supposed conduct.

When it had heard of their goal to reform the chakra fruit it had also remembered those memories about Kaguya, and as a result it had acted in an uncharacteristically hostile manner against those two as it had perceived them to be an imminent threat to the world that it had _nurtured_ so far.

His idiotic clone had not even bothered to inquire for any ulterior motives or _anything_ else at all.

No.

It had simply gone completely valiant protector on them and had engaged them in a losing battle, since it had not even possessed enough chakra in order to last for longer than ten minutes.

And no wonder that it had been so short on chakra when it had spent the past two weeks throwing it around for every conceivable triviality, ranging from fixing the landscape to personally improving the living conditions of every damned human.

He felt himself quickly become speechless after being faced with such absurdity, and it did not matter how much he reasoned that it was a very probable occurrence for a clone to derail from the original's personality, because it did not make any of the things that he had just learnt easier to digest.

He might have not kept a direct mental link with that clone, however, even so, without it being privy to his more recent realizations regarding the world as a whole, the discrepancy in behavior was still too great to allow for any excuses.

Honestly, the sole good thing that his clone had done was to confirm and gauge the overall strength and abilities of those two Ōtsutsuki whose names it had also provided as being Momoshiki and Kinshiki.

But besides that, it had done nothing else except for making an utter fool of itself and providing those two with some information about his own abilities, as well as whatever chakra it had left, since that Momoshiki fellow had most definitely absorbed it.

Not that it truly mattered anyway, because now that he was aware of the true extent of their power, he did not have to worry too much. Or at all, for that matter, because even with a fragment of his own power to possibly use against him, they were still nothing but a candle in the wind when compared to him.

And that was a simple fact. Neither arrogance, nor conceit. Only a mere judgement on his part resulted from a thorough assessment of their strength and abilities, courtesy of his recently departed clone.

Deciding that it would be a waste of time to continue pondering on the subject of his clone and its encounter with the two Ōtsutsuki descendants, Naruto decided to bring his musings to an end as he returned his focus back on his beloved, since he was certain that she must have felt his shift in emotions and thus she must have certainly become worried once again.

Besides, he had all of the information that he required on those two for now, and he could definitely wait until he met them in person in order to give them a final assessment.

"Naruto? Is anything the matter?"

Not even a few moments had passed, and he indeed heard her ask in concern.

"Well, it seems that our guests have arrived faster than I had thought that they would... and that they had also encountered my clone" he gave his reply in a flat tone as he still had yet to completely get his mind away from the idiocy of his former clone.

"Are you sure you are alright?" he heard her ask once more, sounding as concerned as the first time, but this time also with an expression to match her current emotions.

"Yes, my love, nothing to worry about" he replied as he gave her a reassuring smile. "It is just that I find myself rather disgusted at the behavior that my clone had exhibited during these past two weeks."

His features finally softened when he noticed that she no longer appeared to be or felt troubled, and decided that it was time for them to finally wake up, because this matter that had just arisen required some careful attention sooner rather than later.

"Anyway, let us first return our consciousnesses to the real world before we continue with this matter any further" he calmly told Yuno as he proceeded to bring both himself and her out of his mind-scape.

########

 **Meanwhile... [Naruto's universe — Elemental Nations]**

A young man with pale blue long hair and milky pupil-less eyes was standing atop a large expanse of water as he gazed with a delighted expression at the white, tiny round object resting in his palm.

Next to him, the rather imposing sight of a burly male with similarly colored hair, albeit cut much shorter could be seen as he was sending several dismissive glances at his surroundings, which could be best described as depicting the aftermath of a fierce battle.

He did not seem to care about the destruction that filled the scenery all around his position, and after one last fleeting gaze at what appeared to be the remains of two gigantic statues, he returned his attention upon his shorter companion.

"Lord Momoshiki, how are we going to proceed next?" the towering man asked in a deferent tone as he made eye contact with the youthful individual standing next to him.

"Hmm..." Momoshiki simply hummed as he still seemed to be rather immersed in his previous musings.

The slight flush lingering on his softened features clearly hinted at his current mood, and his intense gaze that was still fixated on the small glowing pill in his hand did not belie his lack of attention toward his companion's query.

His mind was still contemplating about his recent encounter with the clone of the one whose name he had learnt to be Ōtsutsuki Naruto, the son of Princess Kaguya herself.

It had definitely been a surprise to him when he had found out that Kaguya had no longer been among the living ever since a millennium ago, but he had quickly gotten over that revelation when he had come face to face with the clone of her son.

The moment he had laid his eyes upon him and felt his irresistible power from up close, he had decided that he would not stop until he tasted it down to the last drop.

To simply put it, his chakra was a delight among delights and it took all of his willpower to refrain himself from devouring the part he had managed to collect after defeating the clone.

He had tasted many cinnabar panacea during his lifetime, yet he was certain that the one which Kaguya's son had obtained only a couple weeks prior had been a peerless one.

And that was why he could barely wait for him to finally make his appearance, so that he could indulge himself in the exquisite taste of the young man's power to his heart's content.

He might have been rather off put by the behavior of his clone, however, he felt that he could put up with such a naïve personality as long as he was able to taste the delightful flavor of his power each and every day for the rest of eternity.

The clone has been rather repulsive in nature with how enamored it had seemed to be with the humans of this world, so the chances were high that the original himself would share the same views.

Yet, in the end, he had already decided that it did not matter to him as long as he was able to make Naruto's delicious power his own. And who knew, perhaps he would also be able to make him realize that lowly beings such as those humans were not worthy of his attention.

That would definitely be an ideal outcome, because otherwise, if he also were to put up any resistance like his clone had done, then he was afraid that he would have to keep him bound and confined until he eventually saw the light.

Not that he minded it too much, because as long as he and his power would be in his possession, it did not matter whether he accepted him or not. After all, he could force him obey if needed, and he would gladly do as such if it meant that he could obtain from him what he desired.

Finally putting an end to his musings, the pale-blue haired young man turned to regard his father figure as he gave his reply to his earlier inquiry.

"For now we shall wait, Kinshiki" he spoke with a content smile as his eyes glinted in expectation. "We cannot afford to waste any precious chakra to search for him throughout various other universes as we will most likely need it for our encounter" his lips stretched further as he added. "And besides, given the protective nature of his clone, I have the feeling that he will be arriving very shortly, since he must be feeling quite worried about the fate of his world in the face of our sudden arrival."

"Very well, Lord Momoshiki" the robust man immediately replied as he gave an almost imperceptible nod at his superior's words, before he also began his wait alongside him.

########

 **Back with Naruto and Yuno...**

The first thing that Naruto saw when he opened his eyes was the beautiful face of his wife, mere centimeters away from his own as she gazed lovingly at him from her spot on the bed.

"How are you feeling, my love?" he asked, even though he was very much aware of the abounding joy that filled her due to her overflowing emotions through their spiritual link.

"Wonderful..." Yuno replied breathlessly as she couldn't stop from basking in the rapture that she had been feeling ever since the night before. "Being able to feel you so closely... as a very part of my being... I simply can't find the words to describe it."

It seemed that her thoughts from yesterday regarding how she might get addicted to the sensation of her beloved's emotions flooding through her had been much more than a mere presumption, because now it was all too clear to her that she would never get enough of this sensation.

"I'm glad, Yuno..." Naruto voiced softly as he slowly stood up from his previously seated position on the floor. "Knowing that I have been able to grant you such rapture, it brings great happiness to my heart."

He leant in and planted a gentle kiss on her lips, before he suddenly snaked his arms around her lithe frame, smiling at the giggles that escaped her lips when he lifted her from the bed and brought her close to his chest.

"So, what are going to do now, Naruto?" Yuno asked, looking at her husband's joyful visage, before she let out another series of giggles as he carried her out of her bedroom.

They walked in relative silence across the main corridor of the house, until they reached the lobby, moment when Naruto finally gave his reply after he carefully placed Yuno back on her own two feet.

"Hmm... Initially, I had been thinking about suggesting we have breakfast, because I really wanted to spoil you a little, despite the fact that neither of us requires food as sustenance any longer, however, given the most recent revelation, I am thinking that it would be wise of us to greet our guests as quickly as possible" the snow haired young man explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "Although, if you actually wish to have a morning meal, then I can arrange it, since it would not be hard for me to alter the flow of time in a way to grant us as much of it as we might need."

Yuno felt that she could burst from happiness when she registered what her beloved had just told her. Hearing that he would go as far as thinking about stopping time just so that they could enjoy breakfast together was something that left her overjoyed, and she wasted no time in giving her response.

"Don't worry about me, Naruto" she voiced, offering him a sweet smile. "You said that we don't necessarily have to eat, so I won't mind if we just leave for your world."

"Are you sure?" Naruto spoke in reply. "Because it would truly be of no consequence if we actually took some time instead of immediately leaving, should you wish as such."

"It's really okay" Yuno let out a cute giggle, before she quickly stole a kiss from the young man standing in front of her, whose smile had yet to falter from his face. "I'll go along with whatever you decide."

For the next few moments, they continued to gaze one at the other, time during which Naruto seriously contemplated about suggesting to Yuno that it would be alright if she were a bit more selfish when it came to thing such as these, however, he quickly realized the folly of such a thought.

He couldn't exactly ask of her to be more selfish when he himself always made sure to keep her happiness on the first place whenever he thought about taking a decision regarding her.

So, in the end, he decided for a sort of compromise.

"I guess that I cannot really win against you" he spoke with a chuckle. "But I cannot allow myself to lose either" he walked to the door and opened it, before he returned his gaze on Yuno. "Therefore, I shall consider it a draw, because while I might concede this argument to you, I will do so only if you allow me to prepare you a meal in the near future" he opened the door and motioned for the rose haired girl to come. "Alright?"

"Sure, Naruto" Yuno immediately replied as she skipped to the door, before she exited her house with the young man following behind her.

"Good" Naruto voiced as he stopped in the middle of the front yard, prompting Yuno to look at him in curiosity. "Now then, before we depart, there is one last thing which I would like to make sure of."

The young lady didn't say anything as she simply listened to what her beloved wished to tell her.

"In the case that our upcoming meeting devolves into a less civil confrontation, there might be a need for the both of us to face those two Ōtsutsuki fellows in battle" Naruto explained. "I will, of course, do whatever it takes to ensure your safety, however, I am certain that you will not allow me to face against them by myself."

Yuno nodded at his words, a cheerful smile lighting up her features as she continued to listen.

"Now, judging by the assessment that my clone had done on their abilities, the one whom you will most likely have as your opponent is going to be Kinshiki, the more robust of them, who is a close combatant with quite the experience in fighting."

"I understand, Naruto" she said, feeling happy that Naruto didn't think about preventing her from helping him as much as she could.

"Which brings me to my previous point" the young man continued. "Have you ever had any experience in fighting with, let's say, a sword?"

"Yes, Naruto, I did" Yuno responded after a few seconds of contemplation. "I remember winning some preliminary tests that the kendo club had organized last year, but ultimately I had to decline becoming a member due to the strict schedule that I had to obey at that time, courtesy of my mother."

This time, despite the rather sensitive topic that her parents would have normally been, she continued to keep her cheerful expression, because she quickly remembered about the last discussion that she had with them on the previous night.

Her parents no longer haunted her thoughts, and now, every time when her mind dwelt back to her mother and father, she felt content, because she would almost immediately recall in vivid detail the sight of them painfully writhing in the obsidian flames of Amaterasu.

"I see..." Naruto muttered as he studied his wife's smiling face, before his previous smile returned as well. "Then I would like to see for myself how you fare in swordplay against me. Nothing too serious, but only me exchanging a few blows with you in order to devise a proper strategy for you to employ, should those two turn out to be hostile."

"Okay" Yuno replied, watching how two wooden katana rose from the ground in front of their feet.

"Very well" Naruto spoke as he gripped the sword before him, before he glanced at Yuno, noting that she had done the same thing. "Now, let us begin."

When the last word left his mouth, he instantly vanished from his place without making as much as a noise, appearing not even a moment later behind Yuno ready to swing.

To his mild surprise and delight, the wooden edge of his katana did not connect with soft flesh but with the sword of the rose haired girl as she had quickly spun on her feet and parried his strike in a magnificent display of reflexes and intuition.

Feeling his smile widen in excitement, Naruto put some distance between himself and Yuno, before he swiftly darted toward her as he followed up with a second strike, which was blocked just like the previous one.

Deciding to increase the difficulty a bit, he began to unleash a flurry of swings at her, only to once again marvel at how she was able to counter each and every one of them without too much effort.

He kept exchanging numerous other blows with her for a couple more minutes, time during which he constantly increased both his movement and striking speed, until both of them had to stop from their sparring due to their wooden swords having snapped in two as a result of their last clash.

"I must say, Yuno..." Naruto began with a proud smile on his lips as his eyes met hers, "You have completely surpassed whatever expectations I might have had for our brief skirmish" he praised.

He was certain that his darling had a natural talent for this type of combat due to to her incredibly keen sense of battle and instincts and he decided that she would be able to confront Kinshiki without too much of a problem once she got a good feel of his style and movements.

"You had been brilliant, and while you might have lacked the proper form and experience of someone versed within the arts, your sharp instincts and mindset had more than made up for it."

Yuno's face instantly lit up at the praise, but she didn't interrupt Naruto from speaking as she felt content with just flooding him with her emotions through their bond.

"You seem to have an innate talent for this, and your possession of such marvelous instincts should enable you to quickly adapt to your opponent's style once you get to understand their fighting capability."

It was incredibly rare for someone to be born with such a natural talent for wielding a weapon as though it was an extension of their own body.

He could definitely count on just one hand those who shared this quality out of all the people whom he had observed during his centuries spent as a spirit.

"In conclusion, as the fight progresses, you should have no problem matching Kinshiki in combat, especially if you also use your chakra to enhance your physical attributes."

He snapped his fingers, prompting the pieces of the two broken swords to be set ablaze and turn to ashes within mere moments.

"Now then, I believe that we can safely depart for my world, so that we can properly greet our guests" the young man spoke as an identical copy of himself materialized next to him in a cloud of white smoke.

Yuno's attention was quickly brought from the ashen remains of their previous sparring weapons to the recently created shadow clone.

"What's the clone for, Naruto?" she asked in curiosity as she inspected the stern faced replica of her beloved.

"Well, I have decided to thank the governing entity of this world for his hospitality, as well as for his indirect role in your existence" Naruto replied smoothly.

"Oh..." Yuno mumbled to herself as she went over the words which she had just registered, before her eyes slightly widened in surprise when a rather unexpected realization struck her. "Wait... my world actually has a god?"

"You could say that" Naruto added with a chuckle. "Although, judging by his power, he is only a minor deity at best. And since you, yourself, have ascended to divinity, you are technically the goddess of this world now, because you greatly surpass him in both power and authority."

"Okay" Yuno replied in a cheerful tone as she smiled at the white haired young man standing next to her.

Hearing the casual response that his darling had given to his previous statement, Naruto could not prevent himself from chuckling once again, before he opened a rift in the fabric of space-time in front of himself and Yuno.

"Oh, and one last thing" he voiced as he turned to look at the rose haired girl. "Do you wish to take anything from this world with you? Because we will not be returning here after we are done tying the loose ends in my world."

"No" Yuno replied without thinking too much on the matter, something which did not exactly surprise Naruto, since he was aware that she held no particular attachment to anything from her world. "All I need is already here with me."

However, when he registered what she said next, he quickly brought her close to his chest in a tight embrace as a very familiar feeling of warmth suffused his being.

Yuno returned his hug as soon as she felt his arms envelop her, and after spending several moments basking in the closeness of his embrace, she glanced up at him and sought his gaze with her own.

Neither of them said anything, since no words were needed to let each other know of their feelings when they could clearly feel the intensity of their emotions, and after several seconds of silence, they ended their hug with content smiles on their lips.

Following that, the both of them walked toward the darkness of the interdimensional rift splitting the air open before them, fissure which quickly closed in their wake as soon as they stepped inside, leaving no previous indication of their presence in the world.

Moments after their departure, the previously unmoving clone instantly sprung into action as it faced the now empty house.

It brought its hands with the palms facing outward as a small transparent cube formed in front of them, a small white sphere glowing intensely at its center.

The cube quickly shot toward the house and hovered above it for a moment, before it rapidly expanded, until it engulfed the structure in its entirety.

Faster than one could blink, the glowing sphere confined within the center of the transparent cube detonated in a blinding light, which died down a couple seconds later, revealing a thick cloud of dust in its wake.

By the time when the dust finished dispersing, the transparent walls of the cube also disappeared, revealing inside the sight of a perfectly leveled plot of land where the large house once stood.

"Now, this _dust release_ is both a useful and fun to use technique..." the shadow clone muttered to itself as it also opened a rift in the space-time continuum before itself.

The original might have not specifically stated that the house should be dismantled, but the clone had decided to do it anyway, because for one, it did not matter what it did after his departure, given how he had essentially severed all ties with this world, and secondly, it had been quite amusing, especially since it was bound to create a lot of confusion when the results of its handiwork were discovered.

Not to mention the fact that the light show from earlier must have definitely attracted a lot of attention, so it would not take more than a few minutes until someone arrived to check out the incredibly unusual occurrence.

The clone glanced one last time at the smoking patch of land a few feet away from it, before it stepped inside the closing portal as it carried on with the task it had been given by its creator.

########

 **[Cathedral of Causality]**

The sound of deep chuckling suddenly began to reverberate through the confines of the cathedral, prompting one of its occupants, a tanned girl of small stature with silver hair, to lower the manga that she had been reading and glance in questioning at the other occupant of the room.

"What is it, Deus?" the diminutive girl asked with a raised eyebrow. "You are being much weirder than usual. Have you finally finished the preparations for that survival game?"

"Ah, none of the sort, Murmur" the god of space and time answered casually from his ivory throne, eliciting a brief look of confusion from his tanned servant. "I am just excited at the thought that our guest will be finally making his appearance in the next few moments."

As soon as she registered her superior's words, all confusion drained from Murmur's face and was instantly replaced by a blank expression.

"Bye, Deus" she quickly spoke in a flat tone. "I'll be in the human world, but don't bother calling for me, because I'm not going to come as long as that _thing_ is in here" she stood up from her corner and placed her manga on top of the pile next to her, before she promptly vanished from the cathedral of causality.

"Such a shame that she decided to leave..." Deus murmured after a brief period of silence, before he dismissed the monitors floating in front of him and pushed the odd keyboard-like device attached to his throne to the side.

Not even a moment later, and a rift opened in the middle of the purple tinted chamber, out of whose pitch black recesses stepped the guest whom the god of time and space had been expecting.

The white haired young man sent a brief glance as he inspected his surroundings, before his gaze settled on the sole occupant of the room, a towering figure possessing a skull-like head with spiked purple hair and wearing a dark cloak with various ornaments attached to it.

The two individuals stared at each other for several moments, before the silence was eventually broken as one of them spoke.

"Greetings" the towering individual intoned politely from his throne. "It is a pleasure to have a powerful deity such as yourself for a guest. I am Deus Ex Machina, the god of time and space of this universe."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, god of time and space" the young man replied in an equally polite tone. "I am Ōtsutsuki Naruto, primordial god of chakra—a power specific to my universe due to the unique natural energy that permeates it."

"Oh, that is very fascinating, indeed" Deus voiced. "However, as much as I would enjoy having a discussion with you on that topic, I am certain that you have come here for more important reasons than that. Am I correct, Lord Ōtsutsuki?"

The small smile that tugged at the young man's lips told the god of time and space that he had been correct with his assumption.

Not that there had been too much of a doubt on this matter, since it was quite obvious to him that the sudden the arrival of an entity which had completely ignored his existence so far could mean only one thing. Business.

"Yes, you are right on that matter, Lord Deus" the shadow clone answered, its tone pleasant and smooth. "Although, it is not something too serious either, since I have come merely to express my thanks for your hospitality, as well as regarding your indirect role in the existence of my wife, Ōtsutsuki Yuno."

Deus' eyes slightly widened when he heard that.

Her name sounded familiar, and after a few moments of thinking, he reached with a hand for the contraption next to his throne and typed something, only to be left with even wider eyes at the results that he had been given.

That girl, formerly known as Gasai Yuno, was one of the possible candidates for his upcoming survival game, however, that detail was insignificant when compared with the other thing that he had just found out about her.

She was no longer bound by the laws of causality, and his system recognized her as an entity identical in nature to the young man standing less than a few meters away from him.

In other words, the young man had brought her existence above the laws governing this universe, which was a feat as surprising as it was awe inspiring.

"I see..." Deus muttered as he recovered from his brief shock.

Not that anyone could blame him for his reaction, because it was not every day that he met an entity capable of achieving such formidable feats with such extreme ease.

This young man was truly worth of his title as a primordial, since his power was definitely an undisputed fact.

"Then, I would like to say that I gladly welcome your thanks, and that I also wish you and your wife an eternity of happiness alongside each other."

"Thank you, Lord Deus" the clone spoke in appreciation. "Now then, I shall take my leave. Farewell, god of time and space."

"Farewell, Lord Ōtsutsuki."

And with that, Deus watched as the young man vanished in a plume of smoke, before he brought back the holographic monitors and keyboard-like contraption as he resumed his work on preparing the stage for the survival game.

########

 **With Naruto and Yuno... [Elemental Nations — Naruto's Universe]**

"Hey, Naruto, what is this place?" Yuno asked as she glanced in mild curiosity at the scenery around her.

She had just arrived with her beloved in his world and was in the process of inspecting the rather unusual surroundings that welcomed her eyes.

A large crater filled with water in which they currently found themselves, that was flanked on all sides by the crumbling remains of what had once been a tall plateau.

"This place is called the Valley of the End, and it has been the battleground for the last confrontation between my sons' previous transmigrants, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama" Naruto replied as he also studied the landscape for a few moments. "Their fight had reshaped the landscape, although, now I feel that its name is even more fitting given its current appearance."

A giggle escaped Yuno's mouth at her beloved's amused tone, before her attention was brought to the other side of the valley when she noticed two chakra signatures suddenly flicker on her senses.

"Oh, and here are our guests" Naruto spoke as he watched what appeared to be two pale skinned male individuals slowly walk toward his and Yuno's position.

One of them had a burly physique accompanied by a towering height and large hands, as well as with short spiky blue-grayish hair, a full beard and a long horn above his left eye. His clothing consisted of a pale blue shirt with black cuffs and a high collar, over which he wore a darker colored garb with a grey sash wrapped around his waist. He also wore grey pants and black, flat shoes upturned at the toes.

The other person was rather effeminate in appearance, possessing delicate facial features, pale-blue hair kept in a long ponytail and eyebrows cut short as a symbol of nobility, as well as a pair of flat, curved horns, resembling of rabbit ears which adorned his head. He was dressed in a white traditional kariginu hunting robe, baggy pants, a pair of wooden sandals, and a single black glove on his left hand, as well as a transparent veil over his head.

"Greetings. I am certain that you already know me due to your earlier meeting with my clone, so what is left is to introduce you to the young lady beside me" Naruto continued as he indicated to the rose haired girl standing next to him. "This is my dear wife, Ōtsutsuki Yuno."

Yuno offered a polite nod of her head which was reciprocated by both of the guests who had stopped several feet in front of her.

"And now that the introductions are over, I believe that we should get to the main topic of our meeting" Naruto declared in a smooth tone, prompting the pale-blue haired young man to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "I am aware of the rather hostile history between you and my mother, and I am not going to judge you solely based on those past motives. However, I would like to hear an explanation for your current presence here."

A faint smile found its way on the effeminate young man's lips as he listened further, before he spoke pleasantly.

"It seems that I had been too quick making assumptions after encountering your clone. You are definitely much, _much_ more than what I had expected."

Now it was Naruto's turn to raise a nonexistent eyebrow in curiosity as he listened to his guest speak while he also glanced out of the corner of his eyes at the robust man who was simply staring at him with a stoic visage.

"Initially, I had come here with the intent of taking away the wonderful chakra that I had sensed two weeks ago through any means necessary, however, after meeting the real you, I have slightly changed my plans."

The white haired young man felt a spike of anger through the soul bond that he shared with his wife, and made sure that he mentally offered her some calming words, since he had an inkling that she might get even more incensed further down the line in their discussion.

"I don't only want your chakra, but I want _you_ as well."

Hearing the pale-blue haired guest utter those words made Naruto realize that he had been spot on with his prediction, not that there was much doubt, given the small signs that he had observed earlier.

Ever since he had started the discussion, he had noticed how the effeminate-looking young man's eyes had an almost reverent gleam to them whenever he gazed in his way, eyes which by now had also gained an oddly affectionate shine that only got more intense the further he spoke.

"You are nothing like the pathetic creatures I have seen throughout this universe. You are even unique among our own kin, as most of the clansmen I have encountered are self righteous buffoons who care so much about the lower life forms littering this universe that they decide to settle and live amongst them."

While on the outside Naruto appeared to be politely listening to the young man who was complimenting him, inwardly he was actually quite busy trying to assuage his wife's ire.

He might have enjoyed seeing this side of hers, however, right now he did not exactly wish for her to rush at the two guests and start a fight before they even finished speaking their part.

From the very beginning, he had intended for this meeting to be a civil one and he would try to maintain his stance on this matter for as long as neither of these two breached his hospitality, because if that were to happen, then he would let them experience his wife's sweet wrath.

"When I met your clone, I felt an odd attraction to you which made me want more than just your delicious chakra. Though, I was so disappointed when I saw how you seemed to view the lowly creatures of this planet that I thought I might have to force you cooperate."

Yuno's expression began to darken as she kept listening to the conversation, however, she had yet to make any move that would suggest at the thoughts currently running through her mind.

"But to my incredible surprise, the real you turned out to be nothing like that repulsive clone. And that made me want you even more. I might have initially wanted just your wonderful chakra, but now I also want you for your enchanting personality" the guest with delicate features voiced with a disarming smile. "You don't have to worry about my current form being a male, because if you so wish, I could shape shift into whatever you desire" his eyes sought Naruto's own. "So... will you come with me, Lord Naruto?"

Hearing that, the white haired young man found himself rather torn between either feeling excited at the thought that he would soon get to see Yuno unleash her fury in battle, or pitying his guest for so brazenly poking the metaphorical sleeping dragon that was his wife.

In the end, he resolved to decide on one of those avenues a bit later, because depending on how the discussion went, he should be able to easily choose his stance.

"While I am thankful for your complimenting words, I am afraid that I have to decline your proposal" Naruto voiced politely. "I do not wish to sound rude or to insult you, however, for you to ask of me such a thing despite being told that I have a wife and being in her presence no less... It shows quite the lack of tact on your part, Lord Momoshiki."

It seemed that his words had the intended effect, because as soon as the young man with delicate features registered them, a frown briefly marred his visage.

"I apologize for being so inconsiderate" Momoshiki quickly spoke as his pleasant smile returned on his lips. "But could you at least give my offer some more thought? I have no qualms about your wife also joining and I would be content with simply being your mistress."

The relatively good mood that Yuno had been enjoying thanks to her beloved's intervention from earlier was immediately cut short when the words of that pretentious china doll got to her ears.

"You..." she hissed at the pale skinned young man, who didn't seem to mind her action as his smile continued to stay on his lips. "How dar—"

A hand clasping and gently squeezing her own interrupted her from saying more, and several calming words spoken softly in her mind served to momentarily dim her ire.

"Lord Momoshiki" Naruto began in an even tone while his eyes became serious and his visage stern. "I will only say it once, so please pay utmost attention to my words."

A small smile formed on Yuno's lips as she felt the emotions welling up inside her beloved in preparation to his speech.

"There is no one else in this universe or the many existing others, and there will never be anyone about whom I will ever contemplate regarding in a similar light to how I view my wife" the snow haired young man spoke, his voice unwavering. "The love I hold for her will not be swayed by anything nor anyone, and you should understand it before you actually manage to incur even more of her wrath. For if you do so, then you might not be pleased with the results, especially if you also go as far as forcing my hand as well."

Yuno felt like jumping in her husband's arms and kissing him senselessly after she had heard him say those words, however, she refrained from doing that, because she realized that such an action would not fit the currently serious situation.

Instead, she decided to simply let him know of her thoughts and feelings on this matter, all the while she took pleasure in the scowl that had made its way on the china doll's face.

"I see..." Momoshiki uttered as his features settled in a neutral expression. "Then it is truly a shame, indeed... yet I am afraid that I cannot accept your ultimatum, Lord Naruto..." his smile returned once more, however, this time it was less on the pleasant side and more on the predatory one. "I _will_ make you mine, no matter what."

Now it was finally decided for Naruto. He was not going to pity any of those two.

Instead, he was going to watch his wife let loose all of her pent up anger as he further contemplated on his decision regarding the fate of his guests, because there was still time for them to salvage this meeting.

Yuno, on the other hand, was glaring at Momoshiki with dull eyes that foreshadowed a rather unpleasant ending for him should nothing intervene in his favor.

"You thieving bastard..." she stopped holding her beloved's hand as she spoke in barely a whisper, yet everyone present was able to hear her words clearly.

Blue sparks began to manifest in her hands, and a sword made out of lightning natured chakra took shape a second later, moment when she vanished from her spot as she became akin to a pink streak across the surface of the water, heading straight for the still smiling pale-blue haired guest.

A split second later and mere feet away from reaching her target, she prepared for the swing, however, was unable to land a hit, because her strike was intercepted by Momoshiki's towering companion, who had blocked her lightning sword with a red glowing truncheon.

"Out of my way, brute!" Yuno shouted as sparks flew from the point of contact between their weapons, before she leapt back as she attempted to make another strike at the smug bastard, only to once again have it blocked by that giant of a man.

"I shall leave her to you, Kinshiki" Momoshiki spoke calmly as his eyes never left Naruto's stern looking face. "But don't be too rough with her, because I wouldn't want Lord Naruto to hate me even more than he does now."

"Yes, Lord Momoshiki" the burly man replied in a gruff voice as he switched on the offensive against the rose haired girl, who was momentarily surprised by the speed and agility behind the movements that completely belied the older man's robust physique.

"Fine" Yuno hissed as she parried an overhead swing from Kinshiki. "Then you'll die too!"

And following her words, veins became prominent around her temples as her cerise eyes lost their pupils, signaling the activation of her byakugan, before she loaded chakra into her free hand as she pointed her palm at the towering man in front of her.

Less than a split second later, and a barrage of gigantic pink tinted chakra fists impacted against him, sending him flying through the air until he collided and smashed through the tall plateau in the distance.

Not wasting a moment, Yuno quickly dashed like an arc of lightning across the water's surface as she headed straight after her opponent.

########

"Now, Lord Naruto..." Momoshiki offered with a disarming smile as he brought his right hand inside his robe and retrieved several red colored pills. "Will you try to see reason within my words, or will we have to fight as well? I am hoping that you choose the former, because I do not wish to harm you if possible."

Naruto let out a soft sigh at his guest's words while his visage slowly lost most of its previous forbidding aspect.

"My answer remains and will always remain the same, Lord Momoshiki" he replied.

The pale skinned young man shook his head in slight disappointment at the answer, before he ingested all of the pills in his right palm in one swift movement.

"So in the end you truly do not leave me with any option other than forcing you to obey me..." he spoke. "It might pain my heart to do as such, but if you refuse to listen to me, then I have no choice."

Naruto began to infuse his own chakra as he prepared for the imminent fight.

He knew from the clone's memories of what his opponent was capable of, so he was not too concerned about the outcome of the battle, because he had already planned it out in such a manner that it would give him all the information that he needed in order to make his judgement.

"I am someone who always appreciates and acknowledges confidence where it is due, but do you believe it wise to make such a bold claim when you know so little about your opponent?" the white haired young man questioned as he met his fellow clansman's eyes. "Doing as such is not confidence, Lord Momoshiki. It is hubris. And it might very well lead to your downfall."

He focused chakra to his eyes as he blinked once, and when he opened them, they were no longer their usual pale, but a deep violet that spanned both the sclera and iris, with black concentric rings around the small dot-like pupil.

A look of surprise covered Momoshiki's visage when he noticed the change in Naruto's eyes.

"Marvelous..." he uttered in delight, before he raised his left gloved hand and pointed it in Naruto's direction as a similar looking eye, albeit of a crimson color, opened in the middle of his palm.

In the time it took Naruto to blink, chakra attuned to all five main elements flew from the pale-blue haired Ōtsutsuki's hand and formed into powerful techniques which headed straight toward his position.

A fierce blaze, a huge tidal wave, numerous boulders, a powerful typhoon, and menacing streaks of lightning raced at incredible speed to obliterate him, however, when only mere feet away from his face, they all stopped from advancing as if having hit an invisible barrier.

Momoshiki's expression seemed to become even more delighted as he watched all of the techniques he had fired previously get absorbed in the opened right palm of his fellow clan member until not even a drop of chakra remained.

"You also possess the Rinnegan, and it is of a strength even greater than my own..."

Naruto did not say anything and simply lowered his hand as his ringed eyes never left the pale ones of his opponent, who seemed to be greatly enjoying all the attention that he was getting from him.

"Now then, do you still wish to continue with this pointless fight even though I have just demonstrated you that I can completely negate your own ability?" he asked in an even tone as the black malleable substance which made up the glove on his left hand subtly twitched. "Or will you heed my words and leave peacefully?"

"I am afraid that I cannot do that, Lord Naruto" Momoshiki replied in a sincere tone and with a matching smile as his byakugan flared to life. "You are far too important to me to even consider letting you go like that."

"Very well... then..." the snow haired young man uttered as his glove once again twitched minutely. "I might not be one to take pleasure in needless fighting, especially against those of my own kin, however, that does not mean I shall not retaliate if I am left with no other option."

When the last word left his mouth, Naruto instantly vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of his surprised opponent as he swung at him the ebon shakujō which had formed in his left hand.

Momoshiki managed to snap out of his mild shock before being struck by the looped end of the staff and quickly parried the incoming blow with a black receiver that he had produced from his hand.

"Why the surprised expression, Lord Momoshiki?" Naruto spoke with an amused smile as he kept his shakujō steady against his adversary's attempt at overpowering him. "Surely, you did not expect our battle to only consist of us rebounding techniques from one to the other, no?"

The white haired Ōtsutsuki kept his faint smile as he put some distance between himself and a frowning Momoshiki, before he dashed once more toward him, his staff already poised to make another strike.

Having his blow blocked once again in a timely fashion, he decided to up the ante and began unleashing a flurry of strikes as he twirled his onyx shakujō with swift and elegant moves as if dancing around his opponent, who could do nothing but try to keep up with the pace.

After several minutes of intense combat, however, Naruto began to revert back to a more languid and comfortable pace as most of his attention seemed to have been shifted away from his fight and toward something else happening in the not too far distance.

His violet eyes quickly caught sight of his lovely wife as she struck mercilessly with a pink glowing katana against her burly opponent's guard, who appeared to be on the defensive as opposed to the time when they had started their fight.

It seemed that his dear Yuno had actually copied Kinshiki's own tool creation technique, hence their identical weapons, except for the color and design in his case, which was a red tinted large axe.

Naruto absentmindedly blocked another of Momoshiki's strikes as he continued to observe his wife beginning to slowly dominate her adversary in combat, despite the obvious physical advantage that he seemed to be having.

The sight of her becoming able to match the towering individual blow for blow while she fought with ruthless determination and bloodthirsty ferocity behind her every strike was enough to send a few delighted shivers down Naruto's spine as he could only marvel at her incredible progress.

It seemed that when it came to armed combat, due to her uncanny talent and sharp instincts, she was definitely one that would learn most efficiently from actually experiencing it firsthand, rather than training against imaginary adversaries.

As he continued to admire the beauty that his Yuno was while fighting, his eyes inadvertently caught sight of quite the interesting thing.

There seemed to be a third party spectating their encounter, and judging by the familiar chakra signature behind the projection technique that was being employed, he realized that the one who was surreptitiously watching them was none other than that Toneri boy from the moon.

Deciding that the whole business involving his brother's descendant could be definitely postponed until he was done with the matter currently at hand, Naruto placed the thoughts revolving around his nephew at the back of his mind, however, was unable to resume his watching of Yuno's fight, because he was quickly interrupted by his own opponent's voice.

"Hm, I'll admit that there is quite the difference in prowess between us... however... you should be taking me more seriously, Lord Naruto" Momoshiki spoke as he put some distance between himself and Naruto. "Or are you perhaps too worried about your wife?" he questioned with an amiable smile. "If so, then I assure you that she should end up mostly unscathed from her fight with Kinshiki, because, as you have certainly heard earlier, I have made it very clear to him to not take things too far."

"Oh, it is none of that. Quite the opposite actually" the white haired young man replied with a smile of his own. "This is the first time when I see her engage in genuine combat, and I am quickly finding myself become mesmerized by her deadly elegance."

Momoshiki's smile visibly dimmed when he briefly checked the progress of Kinshiki's fight with his Byakugan, but it quickly returned when he noticed that Naruto was once again barely paying any attention to him in favor of watching his wife's battle.

He wasted no time and reached with his hand inside his robe, retrieving a white colored pill that brought an almost ecstatic look on his face and made his mouth water in anticipation.

If his adversary was so blatantly ignoring him and at the same time providing him with a great opportunity to make a surprise attack, then he would gladly capitalize on it.

Besides, he had to be realistic with his current odds, because based on the progression of his fight against Naruto so far, he was certain that this was the only chance for him to turn it in his favor.

"She does seem to certainly possess great natural talent for fighting" the pale-blue haired Ōtsutsuki muttered as he ingested the pill. "However..."

He didn't spend too much time savoring the exquisite taste of Naruto's chakra, because he knew that he had to strike quickly if he wished to emerge victorious, so he instantly vanished in an incredible burst of speed.

When he appeared only a few inches away from his still distracted adversary, his left hand was already holding a pitch-black rod made out of the truth seeking ball that he had been able to manifest due to the previously ingested chakra pill, and in less than a blink of an eye, he impaled his fellow clan member with it.

A victorious smirk accompanied his next words.

"You should have truly been more mindful of our fight."

Upon hearing Momoshiki's words, Naruto finally glanced back at him, though, he did not seem to be too concerned about the gudōdama sticking out of his chest.

In fact, he was actually trying to keep a smirk of his own from forming on his lips, because up until now, everything had been going just according to his plan.

If he were to make a proper judgement on the matter of his fellow clansmen, then he would have to give them the false impression that they had won, because only then he would be able to clearly ascertain their motives.

"And with this, Lord Naruto, I believe that I have won our little altercation" Momoshiki spoke in a confident tone as he began to channel his chakra and will through the black receiver made out of the truth-seeking orb.

Noticing the foreign chakra attempting to enter his system, Naruto merely continued to play his part and allowed the invading chakra to spread through his body, but not before he made sure that he absorbed all of the chakra that his opponent had obtained from his clone, as well as the gudōdama currently piercing through him.

Momoshiki did not seem to realize what the true motives of his fellow Ōtsutsuki were, so he simply watched in glee the unfolding events.

As soon as he was done retrieving his chakra and absorbing the truth-seeking orb, Naruto allowed himself to become destabilized in the presence of the foreign chakra inside his system, which caused him to suffer a process very similar to what had happened to him during his Ascension.

His body instantly reverted back to its pure chakra form, and not even a split second later, it exploded in a brilliant white haze that rapidly expanded in all directions.

"I-Incredible..." Momoshiki was barely able to speak as he was bathed in the delightful energy that had already saturated his surroundings. "This chakra... is so thick... so... intoxicating..." a flush covered his pale face as he continued to bask in the feeling of ecstasy that Naruto's chakra was bringing to his senses. "It's magnificent..."

However, due to the clouded state of his mind and the thick white blanket obscuring most of his view, despite his Byakugan, which was now more of a hindrance with how it highlighted the chakra around him, he was unable to notice the black mass that made up Naruto's glove as it liquefied and rapidly sank into the ground.

"Now, my dear Lord Naruto, do not worry, because I will take great care of you once I am finished putting you back together inside me" Momoshiki spoke with an elated smile and a matching tone as he prepared to absorb all of his fellow Ōtsutsuki's chakra.

However, to his great surprise, as soon as he opened his left palm and attempted to suck the chakra in with his Rinnegan, he was brought to a shocking realization.

"Huh...?" he muttered in bewilderment. "Why...?" his voice raised an octave as he made several more attempts at absorbing the chakra suffusing his surroundings, only to be met with the same result. "Why can't I absorb it?!"

It was as if Naruto's chakra was actively opposing his attempts at drawing it within himself. Something which should, for all intents and purposes, be impossible, unless...

It was... sentient?

Disbelief filled the pale-blue haired Ōtsutsuki's being as he slowly came to understand the meaning of this revelation.

Naruto had actually been this powerful?

That thought slightly terrified him, since he could count on a single hand those who had reached such a level of power in all of the recorded history of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Honestly, he could not believe his own luck, because under any other circumstances, he would have stood no chance against an opponent of such might.

Finishing his musings, Momoshiki began to contemplate even deeper on the matter of what he could do regarding the current situation, since now that he was aware of the sentience of Naruto's chakra, he was even more thrilled at the thought of managing to reform him for safekeeping after absorbing all of his chakra.

Could it be just like before that he needed Naruto's chakra mixed with his own in order to be able to latch onto his scattered chakra and absorb it?

He had used up all of the chakra that he had obtained from his clone in order to do to him whatever it had been that had happened to him, so that requirement should make sense.

But if so, then how could he get more of his chakra when he wasn't able to take in any of it from his surroundings?

Unless...

His Byakugan quickly focused in the distance when he felt a familiar chakra signature approach at incredible speed.

...his wife was somehow the key?

When he had felt her chakra earlier it had definitely been very similar to Naruto's own, albeit slightly below in potency.

Perhaps if he were to absorb it all, then he would have the necessary means to also absorb the entirety of Naruto's delicious chakra from all around his surroundings?

An eager smile slowly settled on his lips.

His theory definitely made sense given what he had learnt thus far, so he was going to put it into practice the moment when she arrived.

########

 **Meanwhile with Yuno & Kinshiki...**

Yuno's attention was brought away from the giant-sized hole that her opponent had just made in a nearby mountain after she had sent him careening through it, when she suddenly heard the voice of her beloved sound inside her mind.

' _Yuno, within the next few minutes you are going to notice a significant dimming on my side of the bond, so please do not panic, because everything is going to be alright.'_

Despite his words, she couldn't help but worry about him as her treacherous mind conjured various scenarios, all of them equally unpleasant.

' _Naruto...?'_ she asked inwardly with widened eyes as she suddenly felt his chakra blanket the entirety of her surroundings and beyond. _'Why? What happened?'_

' _Well... I became so entranced with your beautiful performance while watching your fight that I stopped focusing too much on my own battle'_ his answer managed to calm most of her anxiety, yet she still felt uneasy at the simple thought that something had happened to her Naruto. _'But this is not the exact reason, because even while distracted, I could have acted swiftly when I noticed Momoshiki attempting to strike me while my guard was seemingly lowered. It is just that I have seen an opportunity to make a final assessment on this situation, so I allowed myself to be hit in order to see how he would proceed now that he believes me to be out of the equation.'_

As she listened to his words, the uneasiness that she felt earlier slowly began to vanish, but only to be replaced by a stronger emotion.

' _I apologize in advance for making you worry, my love, but this was the fastest way to make my final ascertaining.'_

Anger.

' _It's okay, Naruto. You don't have to apologize, because this is not your fault...'_ she spoke to him in a soothing and lovely voice. _'It's his fault for making you do this... and I'm going to make sure that he will pay for it...'_ her voice became sweet like honey toward the end. _'So, you just focus on getting yourself back together, because I'll take care of everything here. Okay~?'_

That man was going to pay for making her Naruto resort to such a drastic measure. And she was going to make sure of it.

' _Alright, my love'_ Yuno smiled at her beloved's words. _'Then, I shall leave you to it for ten minutes, because I am going to need my complete focus on myself in order to regather my chakra as fast as possible.'_

' _Sure, Naruto~'_ she replied in an even sweeter voice. _'I'll be waiting here while I massacre the insect that dared to hurt you~ tee-hee~'_

The moment when she felt Naruto's presence in her mind significantly diminish, her smile completely vanished and her eyes became cold and calculating.

A pink arc of light quickly appeared on her back and from it she shaped and drew a glowing katana, just in time to block an overhead swing from the axe of her bruised and battered opponent, who seemed to have recovered enough to rejoin he fight during her previous conversation.

Black lightning sparked along the edge of her weapon as she kept firm against Kinshiki's overpowering strength, before she cut cleanly through his glowing axe, momentarily surprising him and giving her an opening to follow up with a devastating kick that sent him flying back into the mountain where he had come from.

"Out of my way, you nuisance" she spoke coldly, pointing her hand at the towering man who was pulling himself out of the rubble as she summoned a dozen more glowing swords around her.

Not wasting even a second, she brought her hand down, and following her signal, all of the hovering blades sailed through the air at incredible speed.

Despite managing to timely deflect those aimed for his head, Kinshiki was still turned into a human pincushion when the rest of the glowing katanas impaled him all over his body.

"Argh—" the giant of a man grunted in pain.

He tried to remove the swords sticking out of his body, however, was unable to even grip one of them, before the rose haired girl immediately followed up with another attack.

"I don't have time to play with you anymore" Yuno uttered condescendingly, before all of the chunks of stone surrounding Kinshiki liquefied into a thick substance that tightly wrapped around him, leaving only his head visible.

The substance quickly hardened back into stone, completely trapping the burly man, who could only futilely struggle against his bindings as the rose haired girl turned away from him and began dusting off her garment in preparation to leave.

Before she could have left, however, she was interrupted when she sensed a very familiar chakra signature right below her.

Yuno quickly glanced down at her feet and noticed the black ooze that had emerged from the ground and gathered around her in a puddle.

"Alduin...?" she asked in confusion. "Why aren't you with Naruto?"

"Father sent me to help you while he recovers" the creature replied in its raspy voice as it slithered up the girl's leg and continued further until it reached her left hand, where it settled back into its usual glove form.

"Naruto..." Yuno whispered as she thought about how despite his current situation, her beloved had kept her safety as the highest priority in his mind and actually sent Alduin itself to help her.

"Mother, please wield me in your fight against that person" the gravelly voice coming from her glove quickly brought her out of her momentary reverie. "As you know, I am father's will given form, and it appears that Momoshiki cannot absorb chakra if it is infused with a will that overpowers his own."

"I see..." the rose haired girl muttered as she committed that piece of information to her mind. "Let's go, Alduin."

"Of course, mother."

Following the creature's words, Yuno vanished from her spot as she headed straight toward the one responsible for her beloved's current state, her intent clearly reflected in her cold and dull eyes.

########

 **Back to Momoshiki & the momentarily incapacitated Naruto...**

"So you have come as well" Momoshiki greeted calmly as he spun around on his feet and parried a savage strike aimed at his back, which would have been quite fatal had it hit him.

"You..." Yuno whispered in an icy tone. "You hurt... my Naruto."

Momoshiki glanced at her face and couldn't help but be taken aback by the dull, emotionless eyes that stared back and the darkened visage which welcomed his gaze with a smile that held no warmth but only a promise of painful death.

"I am afraid that it was inevitable" the pale-blue haired Ōtsutsuki responded after he composed himself. "I have tried to offer him an alternative, but he had refused me until the very en—"

He was cut short from his speech, courtesy of Yuno swinging at him with her pitch-black katana once again, and forcing him to block, as well as to subsequently dodge to the side, lest he was left without an ear had her follow up attack hit its mark.

"I'll make you pay for this" the rose haired girl declared, her voice even and devoid of any mercy, before she dashed toward her opponent, her blade poised to strike and skewer him.

"Fascinating..." Momoshiki muttered as he blocked the fierce slash aimed for his torso, the force behind it sending him skidding a few feet across the ground. "You hold such rage within yourself, yet you are so focused and collected. It is such a shame that you have to perish in order for me to get what I wish... but I am certain that Lord Naruto will eventually forgive me, even if it might take him a few millennia."

Yuno's expression became even more menacing, if possible, and she launched herself once more to strike at her foe, her form becoming a streak of pink across the surface of the water as she moved at incredible speed.

"Such resolve..." Momoshiki muttered as he caught a glimpse of her eyes, before he had to parry another forceful blow from her gleaming katana. "I can see why he holds you in such high regard, Lady Yuno."

"You talk too much" the rose haired girl voiced as she fed some of her chakra to Alduin. "Only my Naruto can talk this much to me without becoming boring, so you should just shut up and die already!"

Following her words, and to the hostile Ōtsutsuki's shock, her makeshift sword glowed in a pink light as it managed to slice cleanly through his chakra receiver and wound him across his torso, before she was sent skidding across the surface of water by a powerful kick in retaliation.

"Gah!" Momoshiki sounded as he clutched the shallow gash across his chest with his free hand. "How dare you foil my garments?! And even mar my beautiful skin?!"

"I'll do much more than that" Yuno retorted calmly. "Just be patient."

Deciding to make good use of the opening that her foe had provided her with his attention now mostly focused on his inquiry, she burst forward, sending water splashing all around her as she aimed to bisect her target.

Despite noticing the incoming threat to his life, Momoshiki was too late with his reaction in order to block the girl's ferocious lunge, and would have had to sacrifice an arm to save himself, had luck and an impressive timing from his comrade not been on his part once again.

Just as her word was inches away from its mark, Yuno was forced to stop her attack and maneuver herself to the side in order to avoid a couple dozen of glowing weapons of varying design that would have otherwise skewered her.

The spot where she had been standing a moment earlier was devastated when the rain of weapons made contact with the surface of the water and upheaved huge chunks of earth, and she watched from several dozen feet away how a battered and bloody Kinshiki landed in front of a now smirking Momoshiki.

"Tsk" Yuno clicked her tongue as she looked at the torn skin and muscle tissue on the giant's left upper arm. "That held you bound less than I had expected..."

She didn't have much time to think of a new strategy for her current predicament, because the towering man wasted no time and quickly produced a large halberd that he swung around himself with all of his power, forcing her to jump as high as she could, lest she was sent crashing through the nearby mountains by the force of the shockwave, which managed to empty the entire valley of its water.

As soon as she landed, Yuno made a dash for the burly Ōtsutsuki, intent on eliminating him now that he was severely weakened after his last attack, however, just as she got within striking range, she was taken by surprise by the three chakra receivers that erupted from various places over the man's body and struck her in her left arm, right shoulder and right thigh.

The sword in her hand rapidly reverted back to its glove form as her control over Alduin slipped.

"Ugh..." the rose haired girl sounded while she felt her body gradually become unresponsive to her commands, prompting her to fall to a knee as she tried to fight off the invading chakra and its subjugating influence.

She had not expected that Momoshiki would sacrifice his own companion in order to land a hit on her, but there was no use dwelling on that thought now that she was almost paralyzed.

Instead, she mustered all of her willpower as she tried to reach with her right hand for the stake lodged in her left forearm.

"Impressive" Momoshiki muttered as he emerged from behind the barely standing Kinshiki, watching how the rose haired girl attempted to remove the chakra receivers from her body. "So you can resist my control even when struck with multiple black receivers..."

Yuno ignored his words and eventually managed to grab the black rod embedded in her arm, before she doubled her efforts as she struggled to actually pull it out.

"Well, in that case, I'll just have to add some more" the long haired Ōtsutsuki voiced in amusement as he pointed his left hand at the kneeling girl, before he fired three more stakes from his crimson Rinnegan.

"Agh!" Yuno gasped, less in pain and more at the seizing up of her body, when three more receivers joined the previous ones as they pierced her right arm, left shoulder and left thigh.

"This should do it" Momoshiki spoke as he looked away from Yuno and regarded his companion who was slightly swaying on his feet as blood flowed from his many wounds, seeping into the cracked soil beneath his bare feet.

"Now, Lord Momoshiki" Kinshiki rasped with a heavy breath. "It seems the time has come to consume my chakra. Just as in the past, when my guardian entrusted me with their power..."

The pale-blue haired young man hovered into the air and stopped above the robust man and outstretched his right arm, with the hand facing down and palm opened.

"Do not waver" the moribund Ōtsutsuki added with what seemed to be his final breath as he closed his eyes in acceptance.

"Like I would!" Momoshiki retorted harshly as the Rinnegan in his right palm flashed ominously.

"AARRGHHH—" Kinshiki cried out in pain as his body was sucked up toward his superior's opened palm, where it shrunk and morphed until it resembled an eerily glowing chakra fruit of a red color and slightly larger size.

Momoshiki gazed at the fruit imbued with his companion's chakra for a moment, before he began to devour it with ravenous hunger.

As soon as he was done eating the chakra fruit, his body started changing at a rapid pace, healing from all previous wounds and significantly increasing in size as his pale skin turned dark red and his hair became longer and more spiky.

His chin became pointed, his canines resembled fangs, his sclera turned black, his horns sharpened and grew longer akin to those of a bull, causing his transparent veil to fall from his head, and he grew claws on his hands and feet.

The Rinnegan in his palms also became purple and a third Rinnegan appeared in the middle of his forehead.

"Now then, to finish this..." the transformed Momoshiki spoke as he started walking toward the rose haired girl kneeling on the ground a few feet away from him.

Now that he had also absorbed Kinshiki, he was certain that it would be even easier for him to absorb Naruto's chakra once he was done with taking the chakra from his wife.

Yuno watched as the red skinned ogre slowly approached her, however, despite her predicament she did not seem to be scared, but rather still angered, because she had been unable to properly punish the one who had dared hurt her Naruto.

If her sense of time did not trick her, then those ten minutes that her beloved had needed to recover should be coming to an end at any second now, so she had nothing to be afraid of.

Not that she would have been afraid either way, because she did not fear death.

However, she did not wish to be subjected to whatever this Satan ripoff had in mind for her, because she was certain that it would make her Naruto sad.

And that was exactly why she could only feel her anger increase by the second as the sole thing she wanted right now was to jump at the ogre in front of her, tear his throat out and then proceed to stab him repeatedly for every worry that it had caused to her beloved.

But given the fact that she was currently immobilized, the only thing she could do was to glower in defiant anger at the approaching red skinned Ōtsutsuki as she hoped that Naruto would make it in time.

"What is the meaning of this?" Momoshiki voiced in a mixture of confusion and shock after he brought his right hand above Yuno's head and tried to absorb her in a similar fashion to how he had done with Kinshiki. "Why can't I absorb your chakra either?!"

He had been able to latch onto her chakra, however, when he had tried to absorb it, he had not been able to whisk it away from her as though something was keeping it anchored.

His eyes widened in shock after he tried once more, only to realize that the thing keeping such an unyielding hold on the girl's chakra was the dispersed chakra of Naruto that suffused the surroundings.

And now that he possessed an improved version of the Rinnegan, he was actually able to clearly see how the currents of that man's chakra were somehow converging back together in the same place where the immobilized girl stood.

But this realization left him even more shocked and puzzled, because he did not understand what was happening nor how it was possible for such a thing to be happening.

His chakra might have been sentient to some degree, however, this was taking even that so far away from his understanding that he could only watch the transpiring events in stunned silence.

' _Naruto...?'_ Yuno asked in a hopeful voice as she felt the presence of her beloved return strongly inside her mind.

' _Yes, my love, I am finally done recovering'_ she heard him reply, before she felt a calming warmth envelop her in a tender embrace.

Yuno glanced at herself when she felt the faint touch from earlier become more firm and immediately noticed the white streams of energy—chakra—that were converging around her position, caressing her frame and calming her mind.

Two hands formed from the condensed chakra surrounding her body, gently encircling her waist as a weight also rested lightly on her left shoulder a moment later.

When she turned her head to look, she was welcomed by the smiling face of her beloved.

' _You can take your time and rest for now, because I shall take it from here on.'_

His firm voice echoed inside her mind and she quickly felt at ease, all of her previous feelings of rage and thoughts of vengeance forgotten when she noticed his eyes—twin moonstones that reflected within a smoldering flame.

Yuno suddenly felt her body become responsive to her commands once again and when she glanced at her arms and legs in inspection, she noticed how the chakra receivers sticking out of them began to rapidly crumble away into nothingness.

A moment later, Naruto placed a tender kiss atop her head, before he drew back from his embrace when his legs were finished reforming, with Alduin also leaving her hand to rejoin its creator.

Despite wishing to be held more by her beloved, Yuno knew that there would be more than enough time for that after they were done with this, so she simply seated herself on the ground as she watched him take slow and measured steps toward the red skinned ogre, who still seemed to be stunned at what he was witnessing.

"Impossible..." Momoshiki uttered in disbelief as he watched the approaching young man, whom he thought to have put out of commission for good.

"It seems that in the end you truly did force my hand" Naruto spoke calmly as he took another step forward, which caused the giant in front of him to take a step in the opposite direction almost on instinct.

"This is impossible!" the demonic looking creature balked at the sight in front of his eyes. " _What_ are you?!"

The answer to his question came a moment later from the young man with hair akin to flowing snow as his candid voice echoed throughout the destroyed valley.

"I was and still am many things..."

Naruto stopped moving and fixed the ogre standing several feet in front of him with his stern gaze.

"But right now..."

A shakujō of a black darker than midnight began to slowly take shape in his left hand.

"For you, and only you..."

His narrowed eyes shone with power and his words seemed to weigh more and more the further he spoke.

" _I am God_."

Until their accumulated weight eventually brought the hulking demon to his knees without him even realizing it.

"And I am to pass your judgement."

By the time when the young man was finished speaking, Momoshiki realized that he had been brought to his knees, a revelation which instantly filled him with anger at the thought that his subconscious mind had made his body react in such a manner to Naruto's words.

"Do not take me so lightly, Lord Naruto!" the red skinned Ōtsutsuki bellowed as a huge mallet formed in his hands out of red, malleable chakra.

A split second later and he leapt toward the standing Naruto, his glowing hammer poised to strike as he aimed to bash the young man with a force that could easily topple mountains.

However, much to the ogre's shock, his wild swing was easily blocked with merely a hand on the young man's part as he was not budged even an inch from his place, despite the dust and chunks of earth that had been kicked in the air all around their position upon the impact.

"I am not. In fact, right now, I am taking you very seriously" Naruto spoke in the same eerily calm voice as he began absorbing the chakra from the glowing hammer, causing it to crumble and be rapidly drawn within his outstretched palm as a reddish mist.

Momoshiki had no time to ponder on those words, because not even a split second later, he was immediately sent sailing through the air at a speed that easily broke the sound barrier, courtesy of a tap from the young man's ceremonial staff, which despite its feather-like touch, carried behind the explosive force of many tidal waves.

"Initially, I was thinking about letting you go after you offered a simple apology for your disrespectful actions toward me and my wife" Naruto continued as he walked in the direction where he had previously sent his opponent flying to.

"However..."

He paused when he noticed a few dozen molten rocks come raining at him from the partly shattered mountain in which Momoshiki had apparently crashed, though, he simply stood still as they impacted his position in a fiery blaze that shone as bright as the sun and instantly turned the soil beneath to brittle glass.

"Naruto!" Yuno shouted in worry when she saw him get engulfed by the searing explosion, however, she quickly calmed down after she noticed him emerge out of the subsiding inferno.

He was completely unharmed. Not even his clothes were as much as singed.

Following a languid sweep of his free hand, all of the remaining flames around his position were instantly snuffed out from existence.

"That had completely changed the moment when you had dared to lay a hand on the one whom I hold dear and treasure even more than my own mother!"

The earth started trembling when faced with the wrath that bled from his raised voice.

"Naruto..." Yuno whispered to herself when she heard his words and a great joy overcame her at being told by her beloved that she was the most important person to him.

A deep blush quickly covered her face and she placed her hands over her cheeks in delight as she returned her attention back on him.

"And for that reason alone, the only thing that you can expect in return for your audacity..."

Naruto raised his free hand and pointed it at the toppled mountain, palm opened.

"...is a fitting retribution."

As if forcefully dragged by an unseen force, the hulking Ōtsutsuki was unburied from below the tons of rubble covering his form and was brought at incredible speed toward the young man's outstretched hand.

He was stopped hovering a dozen meters in front of Naruto, before he was brutally smashed against the ground when a countless number of gigantic, white fists made out of chakra smashed against his back.

The soil cracked and shattered under the incredible force of the attack, and after the flurry of strikes ended, the only thing left was a thousand feet deep crater and a battered, red skinned ogre lying facedown at its bottom.

Momoshiki shakily brought himself back on his feet, though, only to be once again whisked through the air and brought in front of the stern visage of the white haired young man standing at the edge of the huge pit.

Naruto slowly raised his right hand, white sparks of chakra coming into existence all over his forearm as he stared with narrowed eyes at his fellow clansman.

"This is the first time when I raise my fist at someone with this kind of intent behind it..." he spoke as he clenched his fist, prompting his entire arm to be engulfed in a shroud of dense, whitish chakra. "So I'll have to apologize in advance if I am a bit too rough with you."

His words caused the red skinned ogre to adopt a fearful expression as his Byakugan quickly took notice of the unbelievable amount of chakra gathering within the young man's fist, however, he didn't get more than a couple seconds to dwell on the matter, because his eyes immediately widened when he saw his opponent rear back his arm.

As soon as Naruto's glowing fist impacted Momoshiki's face, the air around the point of contact was instantly displaced, and the towering man's previous thoughts were replaced by an intense pain.

Less than a split second later, a powerful shockwave also followed, before the earth below the young man's feet cracked and shattered under the sheer force of the hit, creating and even wider crater beneath.

A split second passed, and the crater tripled in width as Momoshiki was sent flying obliquely toward the sky, at such a speed that he instantly broke the sound barrier, before vanishing in a flash of light in less time than it took the soil to be completely pulverized.

Another split second passed, and the crater tripled once more in width as the earth was simply disintegrated by the generated force, revealing beneath Naruto's now levitating form a huge dark pit with seemingly no bottom to it.

The young man took a moment to inspect the results of his admittedly serious punch as he momentarily swapped to his Byakugan in order to check his clansman's whereabouts.

A second later, his pale and featureless eyes widened in slight amazement when he realized that he had put enough power behind his strike that Momoshiki had ended up embedded deep within Mars' crust, which now sported a new and rather impressive crater spanning around a quarter of its surface.

Naruto idly noted that he felt a bit better after the punch he had just delivered, however, his wrath at the audacious man was far from being quelled, and it would not be until due punishment was finally delivered.

And with that thought in mind, he lowered his no longer glowing right arm and called upon his chakra as he prepared to retrieve his opponent.

########

In the meantime, Yuno was standing several dozen feet away from her beloved, her pink and featureless eyes still widened and her face colored with amazement and mild shock as she had yet to look away from the huge crater that was now present on the surface of planet Mars.

She had felt great satisfaction upon seeing that Satan ripoff get punched out of orbit by her Naruto, although, that thought has been quickly overshadowed by the feat itself, because it had actually offered her some valuable insight on a topic where she didn't possess that much.

There had been very few instances during her beloved's story where she was shown feats of his physical strength, however, now that she had just witnessed him effortlessly punch someone a couple hundred million kilometers in the outer space and through two thirds of Mars' crust, she could safely cross this topic off her metaphorical list as well.

Her Naruto was as apt in this field as he was in the many others he had shown her so far.

A giggle escaped her lips when she realized that she had come to find his casual displays of power more amusing than mind-boggling as she had been doing so far, and decided that it was actually a good thing, since it brought her that much closer to him in mindset.

A moment later, she shifted her attention back on her beloved when she noticed him prepare to retrieve his opponent.

########

A portal in time-space opened in front of Naruto, out of which a battered and bruised Momoshiki fell as he was once again brought before him.

This time, however, the red skinned ogre was neither smashed against anything nor punched in the outer space, but was simply held there, floating a meter away from the young man as resolute and deep violet eyes met frightened white ones.

A moment later, and a third eye joined Naruto's two Rinnegan as the skin on his forehead slowly parted to reveal a crimson ringed orb with nine tomoe, three on each ring beginning with the one innermost to the small pupil.

"I-Impossible..." Momoshiki barely choked out, blood dribbling from his mouth as he stared in complete disbelief at the newly revealed dōjutsu. "T-That eye... H-How...?!"

The young man hovered away from the crater and lowered his fellow clansman on the ground, who despite being released from the force binding him, he still remained unmoving as he continued to stare at that crimson eye.

"The sole reason for why I had been taking you so lightly before was due to the fact that we are of the same kin" Naruto spoke as he glanced up at the still form of the red skinned ogre. "However, it seems that my kindness had been misplaced in you..."

"How can you possess that eye?!" Momoshiki finally shouted after mustering most of his remaining strength, still unable to wrap his mind around the fact that the person standing before him possessed the Rinne Sharingan. "There had never been anyone else to wield that eye ever since the founder of our clan!"

Naruto simply raised a nonexistent eyebrow at that piece of information as he realized that he was already aware of it due to his mother's memories.

"Oh? So you did not know?" he asked amusedly. "It seems that despite your age, you have still retained such a childish mentality even after living for more than a thousand years."

Understanding quickly began to settle on Momoshiki's face as he remembered the requirements needed for awakening the ultimate dōjutsu.

"Wait... You cannot mean that..." he trailed off in a whisper.

"Yes" Naruto clarified with a thin smile. "My mother had consumed a fully ripened chakra fruit. In its entirety."

"What...?" the red skinned Ōtsutsuki uttered in stupefaction, his eyes wide.

"And so have I, however, I did so after already being in possession of my mother's complete might" the young man further added. "And the fruit that I had eaten had been itself quite different from the norm, since it contained the chakra developed by countless people over the course of a thousand years."

"But to eat the sacred fruit by yourself is forbidden..." Momoshiki argued weakly as he coughed a mouthful of blood. The punch from earlier had damaged the ogre much more than what he had thought, and it would have even killed him had his body not been made stronger by his absorption of his comrade.

"Well, my mother had not seemed to care too much about such things at that time. And I have not even known of this unspoken rule until very recently" Naruto countered. "Not that I care anyway, because, unlike you, I have not eaten the fruit solely for its taste and power. I had only done as such because I had no other option at that time."

The red skinned Ōtsutsuki remained silent. He was slowly healing but he doubted that he would be able to do anything anytime soon in his current condition. Not that he actually believed to be capable of doing something anymore, especially now that he had been revealed that dōjutsu.

"But those things are beside the point here, for they have long come to pass" the snow haired young man spoke as he prepared a substantial amount of his chakra for use. "We are in the present right now, and this time is all about your judgement."

Fear returned doubled in Momoshiki's eyes when he heard that and subsequently felt the massive build up of chakra within the young man.

"You have tried to do something unforgivable to my wife..." Naruto concluded as his third eye shone in an eerie crimson hue. "And for that, you shall be punished."

"S-Such power—ugh!" the demonic looking Ōtsutsuki voiced as he noticed the world around himself start to shift, before he was abruptly interrupted when he was brought to his knees by the sudden drastic change in gravity.

He quickly glanced at his surroundings and noticed that the three of them had been transported to another dimension, which had a peculiar type of ground made out of countless small pyramidal shapes.

He also noticed that only he seemed to be the one affected by increased gravity, which must have been raised several folds, because he could barely move his fingers.

He quickly tried to use his own Rinnegan to influence the gravity and remove its hold on him, however, he soon gave up when he realized that the world itself was rejecting any and all of his attempts at doing so.

And when faced with such a revelation, he could only stare in resignation at his fellow clansman as he was simply too powerless to do anything else.

"I believe this to be quite the suitable place for you to receive your punishment" Naruto spoke as he readied his staff. "Now then..."

He tapped his ebon shakujō against the ground, and not even a split second later, multiple truth-seeking orbs shaped akin to chakra receivers emerged from the ground below Momoshiki as they impaled him through the arms and legs.

"Agh!" the ogre grunted in pain, before his body stiffened as he completely lost his control over it.

"I am going to do to you exactly what you deserve for daring to lay a hand on my Yuno."

Following Naruto's words, a matching number of purple ethereal chains of the Outer Path emerged from his back, before they immediately shot toward the immobilized Momoshiki and attached themselves to the receivers sticking out of his body.

"It seems that I've never stood any chance, have I?" the red skinned Ōtsutsuki spoke with a weak chuckle as he realized that there was nothing that he could have actually done to avoid his fate ever since he had decided to act against the patriarch of the clan.

"No" came the curt response from the young man, which elicited another chuckle from the bound individual.

"If it is by your hands, Lord Naruto... then I guess that it is fine for me to die..." Momoshiki voiced in resignation. "Not that I have any other choice now, have I?"

Yet another humorless chuckle escaped the towering ogre's mouth when he noticed the young man shake his head in disapproval before he started to walk toward him.

"Very well, Lord Naruto" he spoke in acceptance. "Then I shall wholeheartedly accept the punishment for my actions. I am an Ōtsutsuki, after all, and we must take pride in our choices and actions, no matter what those might be."

A wistful smile found its way on Naruto's lips as he heard his fellow clansman's last words.

If the man had been any wiser, the he was certain that things would have gone differently. However, such had been his choice, and he would have to face the consequences of his actions.

"Farewell, Lord Momoshiki" the young man whispered as he stopped in front of Momoshiki and placed his right hand atop his head, the mark of the sun in his palm shining a bright light.

Moments later, the red skinned Ōtsutsuki began to slowly turn into dust as Naruto completely drained him of his chakra.

His upper body was the first to crumble and it was shortly followed by the lower half, until the sole thing that remained of him was a large pile of ashes which quickly got scattered away by a brief gust of wind that suddenly swept through the surroundings.

"Your judgement ends here."

The young man's words were followed by a momentary silence as he quickly sorted through the memories that he had also obtained from the recently departed Momoshiki.

Apparently, there was not much difference between these memories and the ones he had obtained from his mother regarding the history of his clan.

The only new pieces of information were those indicating the clear existence of several other Ōtsutsuki scattered throughout the dimensions and settled on worlds housing other Shinju.

After he was done with his musings, Naruto returned both himself and Yuno, as well as the curious spectator back to his world, moment when he started pondering on his next action while he walked toward the sitting form of his wife.

########

"You were too kind with him, Naruto" Yuno spoke as she stood up and glanced at her husband, her eyes still holding the lingering remnants from her previous anger toward that man. "Instead of simply killing him like that, you should have banished his soul to eternal torment or something."

The young man chuckled at her words.

His wife could definitely hold a grudge against those who slighted him. But he did not mind it, because that was just one of the many other things that made her so lovely to him.

"Only you, Yuno. Only you..." he spoke in amusement as he dismissed his staff and sat himself down in front of the rose haired girl who quickly mirrored his action.

"Yes, I could have done that. I could have done that and so much more" his features suddenly hardened and his tone became serious. "I could have even unmade him from creation..."

Yuno's eyes widened at that, but she continued to silently listen, not wanting to interrupt him.

"However, when I saw him dare touch you, I simply cleansed; eliminated without hesitation" Naruto added as his gaze sought that of his wife. "When that insect, whose only value originated from his kinship as a fellow clan member, dared lay his hand on you, I thought of nothing else but to strike him down."

"Naruto..." Yuno whispered, feeling a surge of happiness wash over her at his words.

"Because you are now the world for me, Yuno. In my eyes, there is only you. The rest is for naught. And if anything dares try to harm you, then it does not matter to me whether it is kin or not, because they will all be reduced to ash" Naruto spoke, his voice fervent. "Me torturing Momoshiki would have been an entire minute— _entire_ sixty seconds of me not gazing in your eyes."

For a moment, Yuno stood still, her eyes widened as she listened to her husband's words.

But then, after she took in each and every one of them and felt his emotions flood her through their bond, a happiness and warmth like no other seized her being.

Tears of joy welled in her eyes, and she immediately leapt at him and embraced him in a tight hug as she gave him a passionate kiss.

The love she currently felt for him could not be put into mere words, but she did not have to do so. Her actions and their bond would make sure that all of her emotions were properly conveyed to him.

She continued to kiss him for several minutes, before she slowly drew back, keeping her arms linked around his neck as she gazed in his eyes with a content smile on her face.

"Okay, Naruto, I understand" she voiced softly.

"Alright, Yuno" the young man replied with a smile of his own. "Anyway, there is something which I've wanted to tell you after I returned, but had to postpone due to the unique circumstances at that time."

"What is it, Naruto?" the rose haired girl asked curiously.

"Well, I just wanted to say how magnificent you had been during your fight against Momoshiki" he spoke. "You had been truly beautiful in your deadly grace, and the simmering anger that you had channeled through each and every strike of your sword had only added to that beauty."

Yuno could only smile in joy at the praise.

"You saw that?" she questioned, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I thought that you needed your complete focus in order to recover."

"But, of course, my dear" Naruto clarified. "However, I was still able to involuntarily perceive everything transpiring around me through my chakra which had suffused the surroundings until I managed to completely regather it."

"Thank you, Naruto" the rose haired girl replied. "But don't try to sell yourself short either, because the speech that you gave him and that punch were pretty amazing as well.

"Regarding that..." the snow haired young man paused as a contemplative look crossed his visage. "I know that we are technically gods, or rather you are one, whereas I am a primordial, however, please be careful when it comes to hubris" he explained, his voice becoming serious. "Hubris is a poison that brings madness and destroys reason. You have witnessed firsthand what becomes of those who have fallen into hubris, and I would never want for such a thing to happen to you."

A momentary silence settled on the two as Yuno pondered on what she had just been told.

It was during times like these when she was instantly reminded that despite his youthful appearance, her husband was still a many millennia old sage whose knowledge on the world surpassed even the greatest of libraries.

She had definitely seen what had happened to those who had become prey to their hubris, and none of their fates had been pleasant.

She definitely did not want to end up in a similar manner to them, not that much because of what might become of her, but rather because she knew that such a thing happening to her would bring great sadness to her Naruto.

"I understand, Naruto" Yuno spoke with an assuring smile. "I promise to be careful, so don't worry about it anymore, okay?"

"Alright, my dear" the young man responded pleasantly. "And with that being said, it is time for me to do my ultimate act, before we finally begin planning for our honeymoon."

Yuno's eyes gleamed in excitement when she heard the word honeymoon, however, it was not enough to make her miss the other two words which immediately stood out to her.

"What do you mean by _ultimate act_?" she asked, stressing the last two words.

"Oh, nothing much" Naruto replied with a knowing smile. "I am just going to diffuse my chakra throughout the entire universe and all of its annexed dimensions and search for any other Ōtsutsuki, as well as Shinju. And if I find any, then I am going to strip them all of chakra, or in the case of the God Trees, simply bind them to my will."

Yuno gave him a flat look. "So, what were you saying before?"

"Oh, don't be like that, my dear" he countered. "I am doing this simply because I wish no harm to ever befall you again. Our encounter with those two Ōtsutsuki might have been a controlled scenario, however, I am never going to take any chances when it comes to matters pertaining to your safety."

Joy filled Yuno once again at his words and a matching smile blossomed on her lips.

"When you say it like that, I can only agree with you, darling" she spoke lovingly.

"But that is not all, because by exerting my will on the entire universe and its affiliated dimensions, I can also bring all of the natural energy pervading it under my command, and thus remove any and all threats to us while also creating a perfect defense against any potential intruders."

The rose haired girl had to hold back a giggle which threatened to escape her mouth when she noticed that her husband was beginning to slip into his didactic tone.

"Uh-hum, sure, Naruto" she voiced in slight amusement. "But please don't take too long. I know that we can be together in our thoughts, but something tells me that we won't be able to do this, because you are going to need your complete focus, just like it happened when you had to regather yourself earlier."

"Yes, you are correct about at, and no, I wont take too long" he assured. "Judging by the time I had spent dispersing through the universe after my ascension, it should not take me more than two days to finish this" a smirk formed on his lips. "The universe might be infinite and continuously expanding, however, this is where the Shinju that I might find come into play. I can use their constantly produced chakra to keep the universe saturated after I am done filling it once."

"Okay, Naruto" Yuno smiled as she stood up and walked next to him, before reassuming her seated position. "Then I'll be waiting for you right beside you."

"Alright, my love" Naruto spoke as he closed his eyes and brought his hands together in a prayer motion, leaving only his Rinne Sharingan opened. "See you in two days."

########

Moments later after he assumed his meditative position, wisps of chakra suddenly began emanating from all around his body, surrounding him in a thick whitish haze that flickered akin to a living flame.

To the unaided eye, it would seem as if the young man was bathing in brilliant white flames, however, through a dōjutsu, one could clearly discern the potent chakra enveloping him as it streamed outward and blended with the surrounding world.

Naruto felt his perception of the world rapidly expand and encompass the world around himself as his chakra reached farther and farther in the universe, joining itself with it and blending with the natural energy that pervaded everything in creation.

He felt the same tranquil ataraxy he had felt the first time when he had unconsciously underwent this process and simply allowed himself to commune with the world to the most intimate level.

He was becoming one with the world and the world was becoming one with him, allowing him to perceive even the tiniest of phenomena from the places which lay under his influence.

The observation that the universe was rather boring where there did not exist sentient life forms was not something new to him, since he had realized it the first time around, however, now that he managed to extend his reach to places where other intelligent creatures besides humans existed, he was brought to another realization.

Based on the behavior of the many sentient creatures that he had observed so far, he could conclude that at their very core, all sentient life seemed to actually be driven by the same instincts and desires.

Which was not too surprising on his part, given that he had been having an inkling about it for quite the while.

However, it did not exactly mattered to him either, because, in the end, they were all his playthings, and he viewed them the same—as sources of entertainment and amusement, regardless of their origins.

After he was done exerting his will upon the universe, he delved even further as he extended his reach throughout the many other dimensions annexed to it, as well.

He made sure to take away the chakra from any being that he encountered, be them Ōtsutsuki or not, and also made sure to bring any Shinju that he found under his control, so that no other chakra fruits would ever be spawned.

Something that he easily achieved by infusing his will in them and having them constantly funnel chakra into the world in order to keep it saturated as the universe slowly expanded, and by constantly draining any excess chakra that remained within the God Tree.

When he he was finished with the entire ordeal, he decided that he did not exactly wish to know the state of every dust particle in universe and any other such trivial things, so he suppressed most of his newly acquired omniscience and left the part of his consciousness spread throughout the universe in a dormant state.

However, it would still be enough to detect the presence of any uninvited visitors or anything else registered to be a threat, should they ever appear.

That, of course, if they had enough power to break through the boundaries that he had set for his universe.

Though, even if they somehow infiltrated his world, there would be nothing of significance that they could do besides potentially annoying him, because natural energy was no longer a threat to him now that he had brought it under his control with his chakra.

Anyone trying to absorb it would first have to overpower his own will, and even in the case that they somehow succeeded in doing as such, he would quickly notice anyone attempting to do so and would deal with them at once.

Not that anyone could actually draw in natural energy without being in actual possession of chakra, which was why this entire scenario was hypothetical, because he had just made sure that there was no longer any chakra present in any being other than himself, his wife, his nephew, whom he was going to visit soon, and the interesting fellow near Konohagakure, whom he would also visit in the very nearby future.

########

Two days after he had begun his meditation, the thick aura surrounding Naruto vanished as he stopped releasing any more chakra.

His Rinne Sharingan closed, and a moment later, his eyes opened as they revealed their pale color to the world.

The first thing that he saw was the smiling face of his wife, before he felt her lips upon his own as she gave him a brief but loving kiss.

"So, how did it go, honey?" Yuno asked. "Do you feel any different now that you are basically the ultimate being in existence?"

"Actually, no, not really" the young man replied with a chuckle. "I have almost completely suppressed the omniscience I have obtained as a side effect of my newly attained omnipresence, so I won't be bothered with needless information such as the life of an insect colony on a random planet on the other side of the universe."

Yuno giggled when she noticed how characteristically nonchalant he was being when it came to matters related to his own power.

"Now, regarding my power, whatever of it which I have expended in order to claim the universe had already been replenished" he continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "However, due to the constant stream of chakra coming from the few Shinju that I had discovered and brought under my control, my power is increasing even faster than before, despite the fact that I am allocating a substantial part of their production to maintaining the universe saturated."

Another giggle escaped the girl's mouth as she kept listening to the young man speak.

"Also, given the knowledge that I have accumulated from your world, I have realized that this universe is in no danger of self destructing, because the natural energy that permeates it actually prevents it from either ripping apart or imploding on itself" Naruto revealed. "So, no natural apocalypses for us to worry about."

"That's not entirely unexpected, given how this universe seems to be working on fantasy rules thanks to the existence of natural energy and chakra" Yuno pointed out, giggling once again.

"Of course, but it is still interesting, nonetheless" the young man agreed, before he stood up as he offered his hand to his still sitting wife. "Anyway, I have said two days ago that after this is over, we would be going on our honeymoon, however, before we get to that, there is one more little thing which I would like to take care of."

"What is it, Naruto?" Yuno asked in curiosity as she took the offered hand and stood up.

"I would like to prepare the foundations for an idea I've been having for a few days" Naruto elaborated. "An idea which I believe that could yield us quite the amusing and entertaining results."

The rose haired girl raised an eyebrow at this as she felt her curiosity piqued even more.

She had decided a while ago that she wanted to also join in on her husband's fun the next time he did something within that context, so she was feeling quite excited about whatever it was that he had in mind right now.

"What idea?" she further inquired as she began walking alongside him toward what seemed like a random direction to her, their hands linked and fingers interlocked.

"Religion."

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN: First of all, I would like to once again thank everyone for their support to this story. It makes me glad to know that I have managed to entertain so many of you with the things my mind had so far conceived.**

 **Secondly, I hope that you have found interesting the way things have concluded for Naruto and Yuno until now.**

 **The next chapter will be the Epilogue, and it will serve to tie the last of the loose ends in the Elemental Nations, as well as set the stage for the upcoming sequel.**

 **I am going to start working on the Epilogue in a few days, so I should be able to finish it this month should nothing major come up.**

 **And lastly, the response to anonymous reviewers:**

 **Anon: Oh, I would never feel offended by hearing another's opinion, because that is why they are called opinions, no? Because they can either differ or be in accord. But I digress.**

 **I completely agree with you on the fact that 'people are people', thus different by their own individuality, however, there was a deeper meaning behind Naruto/Hagoromo's words than simply viewing humans 'by the masses' and seeing them as a stereotype.**

 **This deeper meaning has in scope the existence of human nature, which as its name implies, is a characteristic of all humans. A 'human stereotype', if you will.**

 **The things that you have pointed out regarding individuality are simply layers built around this core that is the human nature, and they are indeed means to separate humans into complex and unique individuals. However, from the perspective of their very essence, the most basic of the basic traits that we have, then we are all the same. The undeniable human nature that characterizes all of us, regardless of the flowery exterior that we put around ourselves to distinguish us from the others.**

 **This is the real message behind Naruto/Hagoromo's words. That while unarguably different as individuals, humans are all the same when it comes to their innermost essence. Humans are intelligent animals, and that is what makes us different as individuals once we learn how to behave and act. When we build ourselves around the core that we are given at birth, we slowly begin to distinguish ourselves from others. But in the end, if one peels through all of the layers that we have constructed around ourselves and studies that core, it is the exact same for all of us.**

 **What I've said above and throughout the story is what I've thought that one such as Hagoromo would come to realize as he is slowly disillusioned from his naivety.**

 **And to conclude this, I would like to thank you for the insightful review. I always enjoy this kind of feedback from the readers.**

 **sleepingkami: Thank you, and well, here was the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **And this is it for now. See you all in the Epilogue.**


	9. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

 _ **Notice: Any religious influences that you might encounter are done purely for entertainment purposes, and not with the intention of offending anyone that might be reading this.**_

#########

 **Epilogue: Creationism**

"Religion?" Yuno curiously asked as she walked alongside her beloved amidst the destroyed valley, wondering what idea he currently had in his mind.

"As you must have surely noticed, both in my tale and in the events of your own world, religion is a very powerful tool" Naruto explained, eliciting a nod from his wife. "It can make for a great motivation and inspire man to take action where other things might have otherwise failed in doing as such. It can be used to guide people while also keeping them orderly and subservient. And for all of that, one just needs to ensure faith and devotion first, because once that is done, the potential for amusement becomes as clear as day."

"I see" the rose haired girl replied as she contemplated on his words.

Honestly, it didn't really matter to her what it was that they would do, because the simple fact that she would be by his side while he did whatever he intended to do was enough to make her more than happy.

She would be content with simply following him in whatever he wished to do, because if he were to have fun, then she would also have fun herself.

After all, as long as they were together, she wouldn't need anything else.

Though, that didn't mean she wouldn't welcome any chance to enjoy even more her eternity spent alongside her beloved.

"So, what exactly do we have to do as preparations for this?" Yuno questioned after she brought her previous musings to an end.

"Oh, that is very simple, my dear" Naruto responded shortly. "First we will need to acquire some faithful followers, and after that it shall be quite the easy task. I have already devised a basic structure for the religion, so we will be able to leave for our honeymoon as soon as we are done gathering the devoted subordinates required to organize and maintain the faith until our eventual return."

"Who do you have in mind, Naruto?" the rose haired girl asked.

"Hmm, the first one is quite the interesting fellow and we will be meeting him soon, since his location is not very far away from ours" the young man spoke in reply. "The second one is actually my nephew, Toneri, whom we shall get last, because I also have some plans for what is residing within the moon. And the last one I am going to resurrect before our departure."

"Sure" Yuno voiced happily as she continued to walk next to her beloved toward the dense forest that was visible in the distance.

#########

Immortality.

A state of existence regarded as a blessing by many, but also as a curse by enough due to the potential misfortunes that it is often associated with.

Some might welcome the idea of immortality with open hands for its perceived benefits, while some might look at it in loathing because of the negative outcomes that it could possibly bring.

For the one known as Hidan, though, immortality has always had a sort of neutral aspect to it, since it had given him over the years both good and bad things.

His immortality had helped him become a better follower of his Lord Jashin, for it had taken away any and all worries of himself during his fighting and had allowed him to completely revel in the violence and slaughter that he brought in the name of his god.

Among the unfavorable implications of his immortality, the only ones that he could find were the fact that he would never get to experience glorious death in battle as the ultimate expression of piety for his Lord, nor would he be able to be graced by his splendor in the afterlife.

However, as of recently, the highly religious man had been made aware of another negative aspect related to his immortality, and in quite the unpleasant way as well after he had experienced dismembering and decapitation toward the end of his last battle.

Spending several months buried at the bottom of a pit, beneath numerous boulders and with the only company consisting of maggots that unsuccessfully attempted to chew at his face, had been a very big annoyance to Hidan.

One that was slowly driving him insane.

Not that his anger at the fucker who had dismembered and buried him alive had helped his mental state, however, after a couple months or so, he had eventually begun to forget about him, because his mind had become more and more occupied with thoughts about his Lord Jashin, as his religious nature had brought his focus back on the commandments of his faith.

For the next months he had fervently prayed to his god as he asked for guidance, yet after the last thirty-one days, during which he had continuously repeated the mantras of his religion, a treacherous thought began worming its way inside his mind.

' _Has Lord Jashin abandoned me?'_

However, the voice that resounded in his mind not even a moment later dispelled any and all of his previous doubts.

#########

"Hey, Naruto, is the person we are looking for immortal?" Yuno asked merrily as she glanced at a pile of boulders that were halfway filling a sizable hole in the earth.

She had sensed the faint chakra signature located at the bottom of the hole, and noticed that despite its constant fluctuation, it didn't seem to weaken any further past a certain point.

"To some degree, yes" Naruto replied in amusement as he glanced in the same direction as his wife, his focus momentarily shifting on the presence buried beneath the large chunks of rock. "Because as long as his body is not completely destroyed, he would be able to continue living even if he were to sustain injuries that would be fatal to a regular human."

"That doesn't sound too impressive" Yuno mused, causing her husband to chuckle in response.

"Yes, but his true worth lies within a different aspect" Naruto spoke, before he walked closer to the the hole, only a couple feet away from its edge. "You will see immediately what makes him so valuable."

"Okay" Yuno replied, her voice as cheerful as earlier, and followed after her husband, stopping right next to him. Veins engorged around her temples and her pupils became more prominent, signifying the activation of her Byakugan as she began watching her beloved for the time being.

A simple flick of the wrist on Naruto's part was all that it took for the numerous boulders filling the pit to be flung through the air one after the other, as though they weighted less than a pebble, revealing in the process a rather morbid sight.

The torn off limbs of a human male lay scattered around his torso, their aspect surprisingly healthy despite the fact that such a thing should have not been possible given their detached state.

However, the most peculiar thing was actually the man's severed head, which resided a few feet away from the body, and despite its condition, it seemed to be very much alive.

It possessed medium-length grey hair that was slicked back and distinctive purple eyes which were opened widely and seemed to be staring above in reverence as they were met with the first rays of light after many months of darkness.

Moments later, a bloodied smile that spoke of nothing less than utmost elation formed on the visage of the man's severed head as his eyes continued to keep their intense focus on the luminous sky.

"Lord Jashin... this pitiful servant has finally been deemed worthy to hear your glorious voice."

The words that left the man's mouth were spoken in a tone that overflowed with veneration, and upon being heard by Naruto, they prompted him to take a few steps toward the edge of the hole.

As soon as his form became visible to the grey haired male at the bottom of the pit, tears started flowing freely from the man's widened eyes and he began to choke on his own blood as he wept in joy at the miracle taking place above him.

He had been blessed to see the magnificent form of his god.

Silvery, lustrous sweeping hair which framed a face in possession of regal features that were set in a stern expression.

Violet eyes with a ringed pattern that looked familiar to him met his own as they stared at him with a neutral gaze.

Flawless skin, pale like the moonlight, covered in a flowing, white robe decorated with numerous magatama and reaching until very close to the ground delighted his sight.

"Lord... Jashin..." the grey haired man wheezed, tears still streaming down his face as he was overcome with emotion, unable to find the words to express his elation at being blessed with such a privilege.

"Hidan" the young man began in a commanding tone, which perfectly complimented the stern expression present on his visage. "Why do you think it is that I have shown myself to you at such a time?"

Hidan's eyes widened, before a resolute expression settled on his features.

"To punish me for letting my faith waver..." he replied without any hesitation in his voice.

"No, Hidan" the white haired young man refuted calmly, prompting a look of confusion to appear on the decapitated man's face. "I haven't come to punish you for a justifiable insecurity on your part."

Hidan's puzzlement only continued to grow as he tried to make sense of what he had just been told.

Noticing the grey haired man's trouble at understanding his previous words, the pale skinned individual spoke once more, intent on clarifying the matter to him.

"Hidan, what do you know regarding the incipience of Jashinism?"

"That it had been created centuries ago in order to offer worship for you, my Lord, as the God of Slaughter" the man immediately responded.

"And what if I told you that such is not the truth but merely a twisted version of it?"

Hidan's eyes visibly widened at that, and the confusion present on his features became even more prominent than before.

"My Lord, what do you mean?" he asked.

"Jashinism used to literally be the Art of Killing and it had first been cultivated roughly a millennium ago by a group of people who reviled the Sage of the Six Paths for his pacifistic insistence" the young man explained, his voice slowly taking on an amused note that elicited a faint giggle from the rose haired girl standing a couple feet behind him. "But as time passed, jashinists—who were so focused on hating the Sage—began to view him as the God of Slaughter, since only the God of Slaughter could beget the Art of Killing."

It was quite the ironic twist how those people had slowly turned over the passage of time from reviling him to fanatically worshipping him. Though, he reckoned that such an outcome was supposed to be rather frequent given the circumstances, if what he had learnt from his wife's world's history was of any indication. Cults simply losing themselves due to a lack of proper understanding and excess of zeal on the followers' part seemed to be quite the semi-frequent occurrence.

"Then... that means..." Hidan muttered as his mind eventually pieced together what he had been told so far, bringing him to a startling realization.

"Yes, Hidan. I am the Sage of the Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo" the regal-looking young man spoke as he gazed at the stunned expression present on the severed head's face. "Or rather that is who I used to be in the distant past, because now I am going by the name of Ōtsutsuki Naruto."

Hidan's previous bafflement returned in double upon his registering of those words, as he was unable to wrap his mind around the apparently conflicting facts that he had just been revealed.

He might have been less than desirably intelligent, however, he had heard at some point of the myths and legends about the Sage of the Six Paths and how he had supposedly promoted an era of peace.

So, then, how could such a person also end up being considered the God of Slaughter and be worshipped for a little over a thousand years?

The grey haired man didn't know the answer to such a question and neither was he able to come up with one.

"I..." Hidan voiced apologetically. "I don't understand, my Lord..."

"Do not fret over your shortcomings, Hidan, for your true value does not lie within your intellectual capability, but rather in the strength of your belief" Naruto assured, before he proceeded with his clarification. "As for your confusion, the only thing that you have to understand is the fact that after I have gifted mankind with my teachings, they had rightfully revered me, for they had been blessed with ninshū in return for their piety. Yet, upon the passing of time, perversions began, and aspects of myself came to be worshipped, rather than my entirety. Jashinism is merely one of them. The aspect of conflict."

A look of understanding finally crossed Hidan's visage after he listened to the snow haired young man's explanation, but with his newly attained clarity of mind, he noticed that he was still left with something causing him struggle as he tried to make sense of it.

"My Lord, I thank you for blessing me with the truth about your glorious existence, but... there is still one thing that I have trouble understanding" he spoke deferentially.

"What is it, Hidan?" Naruto questioned, his tone even.

"Lord Naruto, why do you tolerate the heathen?" the grey haired man asked. "With your power, could you not simply kill all disgusting heathens?"

An amused glint entered Naruto's eyes as he listened to the dismembered and decapitated man's words.

"I am a God, my faithful Hidan" the pale skinned young man responded candidly. "Would you wish, for one such as I to step on ants, when I can have my faithful refine their souls in trials of fire? Of vanquishing the heathen foe? And in the process having the honor of becoming my blessed?"

Another muffled giggle briefly caught Naruto's attention after he finished speaking, and when he also felt his wife give her input over their soul bond, he was unable to keep the small, amused smile from slightly upturning his lips.

He had known that obtaining Hidan's allegiance and complete loyalty would be an easy task to accomplish, however, now that the man was essentially helping the process on his side, it seemed to be an almost effortless action.

"Of course not, my Lord" the grey haired man quickly replied, impassioned at the words that he had just heard. "Please, forgive this pitiful servant for his ignorance."

"Worry not of that, Hidan, for as I have stated before, your defects certainly pale in the face of your devotion" Naruto spoke, his voice genuine and approving. "However, I would like to hear about what it is that troubles you, my faithful. Ever since you have first shown me your eyes, I was able to clearly see the insecurity lurking deep beneath them."

Hidan's features visibly softened when he registered that. Hearing his Lord express such care about his person brought him great happiness.

"Throughout my life, Lord Naruto, the heathens have mocked me, for my faith, my eternal loyalty to you..." he explained, revealing the one thing that had been weighing down on his soul for a long time. "At times, I had wondered to myself, if you existed, why had you not deemed this servant worthy of your words?"

"My faithful Hidan... throughout history, there have been countless faithful. These wretches began their path, their hearts full of reverence towards I, however, they eventually ended up always worshipping the blood they spilt, rather than their true god" Naruto responded after a few moments of contemplation, certain that his following words would be the last needed to secure him an incredibly loyal follower.

"My priest, when your head was decapitated, you did not utter foul language and, for thirty one days, all you had done, was repeat the name of my aspect over and over again, even when with each word, maggots, and dirt were inhaled in your orifices" he slowly brought his palms together in a prayer-like gesture. "As such, I have deemed you, worthy."

Following his words, a bright shine started emitting from Hidan's remains, before they began to rapidly crumble into dust, the last of them being his severed head, whose features were set into an expression of utter reverence as they were the last to crumble away.

#########

Hidan stared in awe at his luminous arms and torso while he slowly floated upward, feeling completely weightless ever since his body had completely crumbled to ash mere moments ago.

He noticed that he was clothed in a robe reminiscent of the one worn by every Akatsuki member, however, it completely lacked the cloud motifs, and currently unknown to him, it possessed a much different symbol on its back.

Then, his eyes were drawn to the silver rosary hanging around his neck, and he gently grabbed the symbol attached to one of the beads as he began to study it.

It was a familiar looking eye, with a pupil resembling the yin-yang motif and three concentric rings surrounding it, whereas on each ring, there were three magatama arranged similarly to what he had seen in a Sharingan's pattern(1).

And despite this symbol being quite unfamiliar to him, except for the general rippled eye design, he felt that he would soon get to understand what it actually represented.

Moments later, the speed at which he was rising began to increase, but he didn't try to fight against the force that was gently pulling him out of the deep pit, and simply watched in fascination how his flickering form was becoming more and more solid and distinctive the closer he got to the surface.

The previous words of his Lord echoed inside his mind as he continued with his ascent.

He might have not been the sharpest tool in the shed, however, by the time he reached halfway through the depth of the hole, he was able to understand the gist of what was happening to him.

Not only had his Lord freed him from his impotent state, but it seemed that he would also reward him for his faith and loyalty.

The grey haired man could not be any happier at that thought, and a look of joy lit up his features as he continued to gaze in absolute reverence at the one who had, for the second time, given meaning to his life.

#########

After Hidan's soul had completely emerged from the pit, it hovered toward Naruto, stopping a couple feet in front of him.

As soon as the man felt ground beneath his feet once more, he immediately knelt before the pale-skinned young man and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the pair of arms that gently grasped his head.

"I have seen the extent of your faith and loyalty..." Naruto spoke as his gaze met the grey haired man's own, "...and I have acknowledged it."

Hidan remained speechless as he listened with fervor to the words of his Lord.

"Rejoice, my faithful priest" the white haired young man added as a faint glow engulfed his palms—dark for his left and light for his right. "For you shall now be reborn anew, as a direct instrument of my wrath."

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, Hidan felt his senses flare to life as his spirit was once more given flesh to be housed within, before a sensation of empowerment quickly washed over him.

It lasted only for a brief moment as it quickly dissipated in the depths of his being, yet he was still able to feel its lingering presence mingled with his chakra as it converged toward the center of his forehead while also knowing for some reason that if he were to focus inwardly on that place, then he would be able to make it resurface.

But that was not the sole thing that he somehow knew without having any recollection of ever learning it by himself.

Etched deeply into his memory were nine creeds, which he immediately recognized as being the teachings and beliefs of his Lord's faith, as well as the knowledge that the silvery eye hanging from the rosary around his neck was the holy symbol of the same very religion.

Tears fell from Hidan's overjoyed eyes as he gazed in veneration at the pair of violet, ringed orbs that reflected approval and acknowledgement.

"My Lord..."

There were no words that the grey haired man could find to express what he felt for being granted such a blessing, so he just stood still, his eyes never leaving those of his God as he let all of his emotions show clearly on his face.

"There is no need for you to say anything, my faithful Hidan" Naruto uttered in a gentle tone as he stopped holding the reborn man's head and lowered his arms. "Simply rise, and henceforth begin your new life as the Head Inquisitor of my faith. The one true faith; Esotericism."

Hidan did as he was told and quickly stood up, his eyes catching sight in the process of the other person—a young woman with pink hair and delicate features—standing a few feet behind the pale-skinned young man.

A sweet smile formed on the rose haired woman's lips when she noticed the reverent man's attention focus on her, however, despite the apparent benign nature of her gesture, it seemed to have a rather odd effect on him.

An expression of unease quickly settled on Hidan's visage as he looked at the young woman's smiling face, and he quickly averted his gaze as he glanced back at Naruto, who simply gave a small chuckle before he spoke.

"The beautiful lady whom you have just noticed is my dear wife, Ōtsutsuki Yuno."

The snow haired man turned to face the kimono-wearing smiling girl, who walked up to him and hugged his right arm as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"She might seem unnerving upon a first glance, however, as long as you don't do anything to aggravate her, there is nothing to ever be afraid of when it comes to such an angelic being." he added, causing Yuno to hug his arm closer to her chest as a faint red dusting colored her still smiling face.

Despite understanding that the words offered by his Lord had been intended as a reassurance for him, Hidan couldn't help but feel even more anxious after he read deeper into them.

And that, when coupled with him taking a better look at her cerise eyes, told him that he'd better pay great heed to those words, lest he experienced something unimaginably horrible.

"Of course, my Lord" the grey haired man quickly replied, his previous anxiety slowly leaving him as the girl dropped the beatific yet eerie smile from her face and adopted a more neutral expression instead.

However, now that his mind became more clear, on top of having enough time to ruminate on the things he had been told so far, he abruptly came to a rather disconcerting realization regarding the wife of his God.

Was she another god?

He wasn't sure, because he was unable to sense anything from neither of the two, but what he knew was that he didn't seem to feel particularly fond of the idea that another deity existed.

His Lord was the Absolute, so anyone else claiming to hold the same grace as him would commit the greatest heresy.

Yet, the fact that she was the wife of his Lord left Hidan conflicted, because he couldn't figure out what his stance should be on this matter.

And it seemed that, at some point, his internal struggle had also become quite visible on his features, because Naruto had taken notice of it and was already on the verge of speaking in order to alleviate the grey haired man's confusion.

"It seems that I have been a bit vague with my earlier introduction of my wife, and that must have left you quite confused" the white haired young man voiced. "I might have referred to Yuno as my wife, however, that is simply because there is no other defined word that could even come close to describing the nature of our union."

Hidan was quickly pulled out of his musings and he began listening with utmost attention to the words of his Lord.

"We are bonded together down to the level of our very souls. She is a part of myself as much as I am a part of herself, and whereas my domain of governance is all of creation, hers is represented by three important aspects upon which she reigns absolute. Devotion, loyalty, and fidelity" Naruto explained. "That is the true nature of our bond. Duality in divine unity."

The grey haired man's eyes widened by the end of the speech and, and as he subsequently recalled the first commandment of his Lord's faith, it all clicked inside his mind. He no longer felt confused or conflicted.

"Thank you for curing me of some of my ignorance, my Lord" Hidan spoke in a grateful tone. "Now I can clearly understand the position that Lady Yuno holds within your glorious faith."

The man then bowed deeply, causing Yuno to let out a muffled giggle against Naruto's sleeve while the young man himself smiled in amusement.

"Now then, Hidan" Naruto spoke, prompting the reverent man to straighten himself and listen in obedient expectation. "Before I shall get to explaining your new body and power, there is one more gift that I have for you."

He clapped his hands and surged his power as he intoned.

" **Kuchiyose: Shinigami (Summoning: Reaper)."**

Immediately following his words, the grey haired man watched in fascination as a large, translucent gaunt specter coalesced behind Naruto.

It possessed long, shaggy white hair, a demonic visage with two red horns, a tantō in its mouth, and purple colored skin. A white garment was draped around its form and it held a set of prayer beads in its left hand.

Yuno seemed to be looking in curiosity at the entity floating a short distance behind herself and her beloved's backs, but she decided to keep the question that had just sprung in her mind for later, since she didn't want to interrupt the eerie atmosphere.

After the daunting specter finished materializing, it slowly hovered toward Naruto and passed through him, before it promptly stopped a couple feet in front of him and Hidan.

"This shall be your new weapon, my faithful" the pale-skinned young man spoke as he brought his left hand through the Shinigami's stomach and touched Hidan's forehead.

The grey haired man watched in silence as the translucent entity in front of him was rapidly absorbed within his body, before an odd sensation enveloped him as he felt something settle down deep within his being.

"I have turned the Shinigami into an ethereal weapon and bound it to your soul" Naruto voiced as he lowered his hand, glancing at the man's surprised expression. "You should be able to summon it with a mere thought and in any shape that you find convenient or preferable at the time."

"Thank you, my Lord" Hidan finally spoke, a pious expression on his face as his eyes shone in anticipation.

He quickly focused on the presence that he had previously felt stir within himself and gently guided it outwards with the help of his chakra as his mind envisioned a certain weapon type that he had been fascinated with ever since his early years in the service of his Lord.

A split second later, and a very familiar looking weapon materialized in his hands.

It was a three-bladed scythe identical to his previous one, with the sole difference being the fact that it seemed to be slightly translucent, despite having a seemingly solid structure.

The grey haired man shifted the newly formed weapon in his left hand and began making several test swings with it as he marveled at how weightless it seemed to feel.

It was akin to holding a feather, and after he threw it in the distance out of reflex, he was amazed even further when he noticed how with a simple thought on his part, an extensible cord, similar in appearance to the scythe itself, rapidly connected to it and gave him ample control over its flight trajectory, just like the retractable metal cord had done for his old weapon.

"Besides the rather obvious attributes of this weapon, there is one more feature it possesses that I am certain you will find to be very interesting" Naruto voiced, drawing Hidan's attention from his current swinging of the scythe.

Seeing the anticipative glint in the man's purple eyes, Naruto smiled in amusement as he continued speaking.

"With each swing, alongside the inflicted physical injury, your weapon will also chip away at its target's life force, and it will keep on doing as such, until a mortal wound is eventually delivered, moment when it will drain the victim of their very soul."

The gleeful expression that formed on Hidan's face as soon as he registered those words clearly made his thoughts known to the young man.

"There is a bit more to this soul siphoning than what I have mentioned before, but I shall leave it as a surprise for you to figure it out by yourself" Naruto added, his tone gaining a slightly mysterious note to it.

"Yes, my Lord" the grey haired man quickly responded with a bow of his head.

A couple moments later, and Yuno's voice suddenly broke the brief period of silence as she decided to address her earlier curiosity.

"Hey, Naruto, I've got a question about that Shinigami thing from before" she spoke as she glanced up at her beloved's face. "You've never mentioned anything of the sort during your story, so I'm finding myself a little curious about its origins. Would you mind explaining it to me?"

"Of course not, my dear" Naruto replied as he shifted his attention from his scythe wielding follower to the rose haired young lady hugging his right arm. "That Shinigami entity from earlier is actually one of the first things I have created after mastering yin-yang release" he began explaining, getting his wife's curiosity to peak. "At that time, I wanted to test my newly developed technique, the Creation of All Things, and the result of that had been the birth of a semi-sentient being—which was able to forcibly remove and store souls, amongst a few other things."

"A few other things?" Yuno repeated, her tone filled with even more curiosity.

"Yes" the snow haired young man responded. "Besides the Shinigami, I have also created five tools, which have come to be known as my _treasured tools_ throughout history, as well as three other items, of which you might know by the name of the _Three Imperial Regalia_."

A look of realization settled on the girl's features when she registered her husband's words.

"Wait..." she spoke, trying to make sure that she had it figured correctly. "You mean the Kusanagi Blade, the Yata Mirror, and the Yasakani Jewel?"

"Indeed" Naruto concurred. "Although, in the case of the sword, the one created by me is actually called the Totsuka Blade, whereas the Kusanagi itself had been created a few centuries ago by some humans."

"Oh, I see..." Yuno muttered, inwardly revising her previous theory.

It made sense to her, since there were bound to be some discrepancies even between seemingly similar historical facts, given the whole different universes affair and all.

Besides, it wasn't like the versions of the Imperial Regalia from her world amounted to magical artifacts or anything of the kind, so it was pretty much redundant to even try to make a comparison.

Hidan, on the other hand, seemed to have abandoned listening to the two's discussion at some point, but that most likely because he wasn't able to understand the topic that they had begun speaking about during the past few minutes.

And instead of trying to wrap his mind around a subject he knew would only bring him confusion and a potential headache, he had opted to simply return to his previous enthusiastic swinging of his scythe as he made sure to get his body once more familiarized with the feeling of wielding his trusted sharp weapon.

"Actually, now that you've reminded me, perhaps I should retrieve those artifacts from wherever they have ended up in the past few centuries, since they would simply be gathering dust with no one else capable of utilizing them around" Naruto spoke up as a thought entered his mind.

When he had left his world two weeks prior, he had not bothered with tying in the less important loose ends, since he had been certain that his clone would have taken care of that as part of properly doing its job.

But given the fact that said clone had only managed to be a great disappointment and shame to him, this time around he had to make sure that things were seen through to the end.

There were several items that could prove to be useful to him at some point into the future, such as his treasured tools, so he would make sure to retrieve them, however, there were also a few things that were more or less useless and would have to be disposed of, just to be on the safe side of things.

After all, it wouldn't do to leave potentially troublesome artifacts like those masks in the Uzumaki temple near the Leaf Village for anyone curious enough to meddle with, would it now?

A split second later, and a shadow clone popped into existence next to him, before just as fast as it appeared, it also vanished within the space-time fissure that opened in front of it.

"Hmm..." the pale-skinned young man sounded in contemplation as he glanced at the shutting portal before him.

"Anything wrong, my love?" Yuno asked in concern not even a moment later as she carefully studied her husband's thoughtful expression.

His feelings through their bond didn't indicate that he was being troubled by anything, though, she just wanted to be completely sure that he was alright.

"Don't worry, honey, it's none of the sort" Naruto assured her with a gentle smile and matching voice as he gazed back at her worried face. "I was simply wondering whether should I actually retrieve the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror or not, because I might not actually have any use for them, and they are anyway in a rather safe place."

"What do you mean?" the rose haired girl voiced in questioning, her previous worry already gone now that she was convinced that her beloved was fine.

"Well, they are currently in the possession of one Uchiha Itachi, who is no longer among the living, so they are basically placed into safekeeping within the Pure Realm" the young man further explained.

"Oh, I see" Yuno replied, not exactly caring about who this Itachi guy was. "And you say that they would be pretty much useless even if you were to retrieve them?"

"Yes" Naruto answered. "The sword is a rather decent fūinjutsu, but anyone moving fast enough can easily dodge it, and the mirror is essentially a poor imitation of a truth-seeking orb with zero versatility as well, given that it is shaped akin to a round shield."

"Then, I say that you should just let them be" the rose haired girl spoke after a moment of contemplation on the matter. "Besides, if you actually want them at some point, then you can easily get them, anyway."

"Alright, dear" the young man agreed with a smile.

"Though, what about the Yasakani Jewel?" Yuno quickly added. "Do you have that one in your possession?"

"Indeed, that one is in my possession" Naruto responded. "Why, are you curious about its ability?"

"Yes~" Yuno answered cheerfully. "I remembered reading something about the history of the regalia, and despite them being different given the obvious discrepancy between our worlds, so far the principles behind the first two of them still seemed to somewhat apply."

"Hoh?" Naruto voiced in curiosity. "That sounds quite interesting, my dear. Please, share with me your observations."

"Sure" Yuno replied happily as she began her explanation. "From what I know, the three items of the regalia are supposed to represent the three primary virtues; valor for the sword, wisdom for the mirror, and benevolence for the jewel. The first two fit the theme pretty well, so I assume that the Yasakani Jewel's ability has to be a supporting one."

"That's very accurate, Yuno. A splendid observation" Naruto praised as he offered his wife a smile, causing a faint blush to spread over her cheeks. "These were the aspects which I've had in mind at the time when I had designed those regalia."

Yuno snuggled closer to her beloved as she attentively listened to what he was telling her.

"And regarding the Yasakani Jewel, it is actually a necklace made of six magatama, and its ability is that of 'rejection'. More precisely, the Six Rejections of Reality; hubristic pride, greed, with its subset—gluttony, lust, malicious envy, wrath, and sloth" the young man elaborated. "The necklace essentially rejects any negativity within its area of effect, thus allowing those under its influence to see past the darkness of their hearts. Although, its ability is momentary, since it only persists for as long as the regalia is in use."

"Wow... that's a really powerful ability..." Yuno voiced her thoughts after a brief period of contemplation. Based only on its potential alone, this necklace easily ranked among the highest tier of tools in her beloved's possession. "Have you ever used it?" she asked.

"Yes" Naruto replied, his voice gaining a somber note to it. "I have used it several times during my time spent as a wandering priest disseminating the principles of ninshū in the hope that it would help me set the straying humans back on the 'right' path. I was quite foolish back then" a humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "The power of the Yasakani Jewel might have allowed sinful people to see the world free of their respective sins, however, such a thing rarely changed them by itself, unless they truly wished for such a change... As I've said before, I've been very foolish during those times. Idealistic and naïve."

As soon as he was done speaking, Naruto felt his wife's slender arms gently wrap around his torso as she embraced him in a comforting hug.

"Didn't I tell you to stop talking like this about your past self, my love?" Yuno whispered in his right ear as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You've done your best in what you had thought to be the right thing at that time, and that is everything that matters to me. Anything else is irrelevant, and it should be the same for you, as well."

A content smile formed on the young man's lips at the girl's actions.

"I know, my dear" he spoke, returning her hug with his right arm as he tenderly placed it around her lithe waist. "You are completely right with what you've said, though, I still can't help but chastise myself whenever I become witness to any past mistakes during my reminiscing. It serves as a constant reminder of the realizations brought upon by my true enlightenment. Those of which I must never forget."

"Mm-hmm" Yuno mumbled in reply, before she started nibbling on his ear, eliciting a chuckle from the young man.

"Anyway, let's return to the previous topic regarding Hidan, because the faster we are done with the preparations for the religion project, the faster we get to enjoy what comes after that" Naruto voiced with a knowing smile.

"Yep~" the rose haired girl responded as she stopped from her previous ministrations and made herself more comfortable in her husband's embrace.

"Hidan" Naruto suddenly spoke, raising his voice enough to make himself heard to the grey haired man in the vicinity.

The scythe wielding man quickly ceased the previous swinging of his weapon and acrobatic moves, and immediately rushed to the pale-skinned young man.

"Yes, my Lord" Hidan spoke in a deferent tone as he dismissed his weapon, causing it to vanish from his hands without any trace.

"Moving onto the subject of the body and power I have gifted you with, there are several things that my blessing has granted you" Naruto began as he fixed the pious man with his gaze.

Hidan adopted an attentive expression as soon as he registered the words of his Lord.

"First of all, I have made sure to improve your inability to die to the extent of actual immortality, because your previous instance of it was very limited in many aspects and could hardly be called as such."

Excitement and gratitude quickly colored the man's visage as he continued to listen.

"Thus, with this new body of yours, things like dismemberment, decapitation, or even mangling beyond recognition no longer pose any threat to you, since you will easily be able to recover from such states on your own given enough time."

Hidan's eyes shone in anticipation and an almost disturbing grin was beginning to form on his face at that piece of information.

"Although, inflicting this kind of wounds on you will in fact be much harder, since all of your physical parameters have been substantially increased" Naruto continued listing the boons brought by his blessing, amused at the grey haired man's reaction to each successive reveal. "And in the case that such a thing does actually occur, the fact that you now possess complete control over your body will make recovering a much more simple process. After all, what would decapitating you achieve when you will be able to simply walk to your head, grab it, and then manipulate your muscles and tendons to easily reattach it while your improved healing factor quickly removes any traces of the wound itself?"

"My Lord, you mean that now I can do the kind of stuff that Kakuzu would do with his weird tentacles in order to patch me up, but actually on my own?" Hidan asked in excitement, causing the snow haired young man to chuckle.

"Among many other things, yes" Naruto responded with an amused smile.

"Sweet!" the grey haired man exclaimed.

"Secondly, about the aspects related to your empowerment," the young man continued with his explanation. "I am certain that ever since your rebirth, you have been able to sense a lingering presence within yourself that had mingled with your chakra and concentrated around the area of your forehead."

Hidan quickly nodded in affirmation.

"That, my faithful priest, is a fragment of my power which I have granted you as a reward for your piety" Naruto spoke. "And its purpose is to allow you to reach a height of power that will make the enemies of my faith tremble in fear."

An expression of slight confusion settled on the reverent man's features as he wondered about the meaning of his Lord's words.

"What do you mean, my Lord?" he asked in curiosity, prompting the young man to give him a pleasant smile as he replied.

"You will understand soon, but before I get to that part, there is one more thing left to cover regarding your abilities. It has to do with the ritual that you would eagerly employ on the heathen."

Hearing this, once again immediately got Hidan's complete attention as he excitedly wondered about what it could be that he was going to be told by his God.

"I know how, in the past, you have found the many requirements for said ritual to be rather bothersome, because they would take away from the time you could have spent on punishing the heretics, so I have decided to rectify that."

The grey haired man's eyes widened at those words as he started to understand what the changes to the ritual had been.

"For the activation of your ritualistic technique, you no longer have to draw the symbol of faith using the blood of the heretic" Naruto explained. "You can now activate your technique by simply ingesting the blood and offering a short prayer. Following that, the cursed technique will only end with the target's death, or if you so choose to prematurely end it on your own for whatever reasons."

"Thank you, my Lord" the man voiced in gratitude and joy as he knelt in front of his God. "You are too kind to this pitiful servant."

"Rise, my faithful, and know that you deserved these boons."

"Yes, my Lord" Hidan immediately complied and straightened himself as he stood up from the grassy soil.

"Now, to finally answer your question from earlier" Naruto began as he once more held the grey haired man's complete attention. "The latent power that you can feel deep within your being can be drawn upon in order to achieve an even more powerful form than that of your ritualistic transformation."

Hidan's eyes widened for a second time in surprise at the registered words.

"Though, in order to do so, you will require a certain fuel, one which has to do with the ability of your new weapon" the young man added as he smiled in appreciation at the look of understanding that crossed his servant's visage.

"You mean souls, my Lord?"

"Yes, Hidan" Naruto responded. "You've done well on your deduction. It seems that when it comes to matters related to the faith, you do have your moments of brilliance. But I digress."

"Thank you, my Lord" Hidan bowed his head, happy at the praise that he had received from his God.

"So, as I were saying, your weapon is capable of storing a number of one hundred souls within itself. Anything beyond that amount will be automatically funneled to Naraka" Naruto resumed his previous explanation. "This is actually an imposed limitation on my part and it has the purpose of making your battles more enjoyable. Although, rest assured, for in the case that you will be required to enter your most powerful form when facing against truly worthy adversaries, this restriction will also be lifted to ensure you access to your maximum fighting potential."

Hidan listened carefully to what the young man had to say as he raised his head.

"Moving on, your second stage of ritualistic empowerment requires the usage of those souls as fuel, alongside with the chakra I have gifted you with, in order to bring forth a power that will be sure to inflict terror on the heretics."

Hearing this prompted an excited grin to appear on the grey haired man's face as he started to imagine the glorious massacre he would be able to bring upon the heathens with such a power at his disposal.

"Though, keep in mind that the power of one soul amounts to only two minutes of that empowered state, and after the last soul is finally depleted, it is advised that you stop maintaining the form, because from that point onward, it will use your own soul as fuel."

This piece of information quickly brought Hidan out of his brief reverie as it made him contemplate on how he would never do such a thing, because it would deprive him of being able to offer his service to his gracious God.

"However, in this case, since it is for testing purposes, I shall grant you the required amount of power to achieve it for several minutes by constantly infusing you with my own chakra for the duration of the transformation" Naruto added, immediately getting back his servant's attention. "That should allow you to get familiarized with the transformation for the first time when you will use it in actual combat."

"I am most grateful for your generous offer, my Lord, but I can't accept such a gift of your power just for the purpose of testing my technique" Hidan refused as politely and eloquently as he could, earning himself a smile from the snow haired young man. "Your power is too precious to be used like this."

"You are the epitome of what a devout follower should be, Hidan" Naruto spoke in a praising tone as he gazed in the man's purple eyes. "But this time I must insist on the matter, because I find myself rather curious about your second stage transformation and I wish to see how it manifests."

"Of course, my Lord" Hidan acquiesced. "If that is your will, then I'll gladly obey."

"Good" the young man voiced as he prepared a portion of his power for immediate use. "Then, focus on that power within yourself and guide it outward. The rest I shall take care of, since there will also be no need for you to say the lengthier prayer to activate it either."

Hidan did just as told and began focusing on the power that he could feel originating from his forehead.

A moment later, a mark depicting a ringed eye with nine tomoe and the symbol of yin-yang for pupil appeared in the middle of his forehead, before it started glowing in a bright, whitish light.

Naruto summoned a water mirror in front of Hidan, allowing him to see the shining seal that had become visible on the center of his forehead.

"That's the symbol of the faith..." the religious man muttered in fascination as he brushed his fingers over the radiating seal.

"Yes, Hidan, but in reality that is a seal which I have engraved into your very soul" Naruto explained, casing the man's eyes to widen in surprise. "It is both what keeps your soul anchored to the mortal plane in the case that your body somehow gets completely obliterated, and what allows you to channel the power I have gifted you with in order to enter your heightened form."

"I understand... Thank you, my Lord."

"Now then, allow the power accumulated within yourself to envelop you completely."

The grey haired man did as told and allowed the chakra that had built up within his body to be released through his tenketsu as a pleasant feeling of empowerment rapidly enveloped his being.

The seal on his forehead stopped glowing and black wisps of chakra started to be released from all over his body, the process rapidly growing in intensity until he was surrounded in a dark haze that completely obscured him from view.

The pitch black chakra enveloping him began to shape itself akin to a cloak, revealing in the process the rather macabre and terrifying sight of what lay beneath the slowly dispersing dark haze.

Hellish yellow eyes belonging to a skull devoid of any flesh stared through the ragged ends of a dark cowl which flowed down into a black, wispy cloak held together by a pair of lustrous, matching pauldrons.

A multitude of golden coins strung together on a golden thread decorated a partially visible ribcage as they were interlaced between the ribs.

And bony fingers attached to equally fleshless forearms held in their grip a great scythe whose handle closely resembled a spine toward the area where it met the razor sharp blade.

Hidan lowered his hands and weapon, seemingly marveling as he stared at the result of his transformation(2).

The ethereal cloak covering his skeletal form was constantly releasing thin wisps of dark energy as it billowed at the slightest gust of wind, revealing even more of the ivory bones hiding beneath it.

"Hoh?" Naruto sounded as he inspected his servant's new appearance, noting the presence of his faith's symbol both on the man's skull and on the hood covering it as well. "This transformation is quite ripe with symbolism in its aspect" he glanced at Yuno "Don't you think the same, my dear?"

The rose haired girl seemed to be of a similar mind to her husband as she looked at the transformed Hidan in front of her.

"Yep" she agreed as her gaze stopped on the man's fleshless face. "It has the whole grim reaper theme down to a tee."

Naruto let out an amused chuckle at her words, before he shifted his attention back on Hidan.

"So, what do you think of your transformation, Hidan?" he asked. "While in this form you are essentially impervious to any form of damage, although, powerful enough attacks will still be able to bypass this defense and harm you. And those which do not bypass it will still drain you of your energy the stronger they are."

"It feels incredible, my Lord..." the cloaked skeleton unclenched its jaw and breathed out in something akin to exhilaration after only a moment of thought.

"You can test it for a longer while, if you want" Naruto added with an appreciative smile.

He had known that his servant's transformation would have been an unique one, since it was bound to reflect his true nature, however, to see it with his own eyes was much better, especially since it had also been quite surprising with its reaper motif.

"Thank you, my Lord, but I'll have to decline" Hidan quickly replied. "I've already imposed enough on your grace as it is."

"Very well" the young man spoke as he stopped infusing his chakra through the seal. "Then, in order to end the technique, simply focus on the power flooding you and will it back inside the seal once you feel the influence of my chakra dissipate from within you."

Hidan did as instructed by his God and guided the power coursing through him back in its latent state within the seal on his forehead.

A moment later, and the dark cloak covering his form turned back into a black haze which once again completely obscured him from sight.

As the black shroud dispersed, the body of the grey haired man was revealed identical to how it had been prior to the transformation, however, he seemed to be struggling to stand upright and was heavily wobbling on his feet.

By the time the entirety of the dark mist was gone, Hidan finally lost his footing and collapsed face first to the ground as he let out a grunt of pain at the contact with the hard soil.

"Ugh!" he moaned as he slightly turned his head to get the grass out of his mouth. "What hit me..."

The response he received from the pair of deities standing before him was along similar lines.

Yuno giggled cutely as she watched him struggle to stand up with no success as his arms failed to support his weight, whereas Naruto simply smiled in amusement as he materialized his ebon shakujō in his left hand.

"Do not fret, Hidan" the young man spoke as he gently tapped the downed man on his head with the hooped end of his ceremonial staff. "It is only normal for you to feel this degree of tiredness, since you have just returned from a state of great empowerment and your body requires time to adapt to such a drastic increase in power."

The effect was instantaneous and the grey haired man seemed to immediately regain his vigor as he quickly raised himself from the ground.

"But rest assured, because the more you will make use of this transformation, the less you will feel this side effect, until the point where you will no longer be affected by such exhaustion" Naruto added, dismissing his shakujō as he looked at his reinvigorated servant. "Though, do not expect me to restore your strength each and every time, since you won't be able to grow should I do so. This time I only did it because we are to leave for someplace else as soon as possible."

"I understand, my Lord" Hidan spoke in deep gratitude as he bowed before his God. "And, once again, I thank you for bestowing such a blessing on me" he grasped his pendant in his right hand and brought it over his heart as he continued speaking. "I swear to fulfill my duty as the Head Inquisitor of your faith to the best of my ability."

"Rise, my faithful" Naruto voiced pleasantly as a smile settled on his lips. After all, everything had gone according to the plan so far. "Now then, it's time to finally leave for the next objective."

"Okay, Naruto~" Yuno agreed in a cheerful tone and with a matching smile as she continued to gaze at her beloved.

"Where are we going, my Lord?" Hidan asked as he straightened himself and began dusting off his robe.

"We are going to visit my nephew."

"Nephew?" the religious man repeated.

"Yes, Hidan" Naruto spoke. "He is a direct descendant of my brother and he is currently living alone inside the moon."

"That sounds kinda boring" Hidan voiced his thoughts, unabashed. He seemed to become thoughtful for a moment, before he continued. "So, how are we going to get there? Are we going to fly? Or will you bring down the moon itself, my Lord?"

His suggestion was met with a chuckle from Naruto and a giggle from Yuno.

"Neither of that" the young man revealed, a smile playing on his lips. "Instead, we shall be using this to get us to the moon in less than the blink of an eye."

Following his words, the air in front of them cracked open as a fissure in the fabric of time and space was formed.

"A portal?!" Hidan exclaimed in excitement as soon as his eyes registered the dark rift which had opened in front of him. "That's damn awesome!"

And with that he proceeded to rush toward the portal while yelling at the top of his lungs, before he dived right through the pitch-black void within.

"He sure is a lively one, right, honey?" Yuno asked with a smile.

Naruto chuckled in response to his wife's words.

"That he is" he agreed with a smile of his own. "Though, it is a rather good attribute, because it means that things will hardly get dull when he becomes involved. All in all, he shall provide for us some very fine amusement."

Yuno let out a giggle as she unlatched herself from her beloved's right arm, linking arms with him instead as she walked alongside him toward the portal before them.

#########

The Celestial Decree.

The will of Ōtsutsuki Hamura, shaped by his loyalty for his brother and their shared wish of creating a peaceful world for mankind to thrive.

Yet, just as with Hagoromo's own teachings and values, so had it also lost its meaning with the passage of time.

The descendants of Hamura on the moon had become split by their different interpretations of their ancestor's will, and thus began warring against each other for their dissimilar views.

Those to emerge victorious were the members of the branch family, who believed that Hamura wanted them to destroy the Earth if the humans were found to be unworthy of Hagoromo's teachings.

Though, their victory did not come without a costly price.

They had been left on the brink of extinction, and their sole descendant was entrusted with their mission of carrying through their millennium old plan of punishing mankind for their weaponizing of chakra.

At that time, the young Ōtsutsuki Toneri had barely been approaching his early teens, but that had not deterred him from accepting the collective will of his deceased clansmen.

He had wholeheartedly decided to see through the branch family's Thousand Year Plan to its very end, and with the aid of the various tools he was left with after their passing, the task did not seem to be all that daunting anymore.

The thousands of automatons left in his possession would make for a great help in his mission, however, the treasure of his clan was the true key to the success of his plan.

With the power of the Tenseigan, he would be able to accomplish what his ancestors had entrusted him with and wipe off mankind from the face of the Earth.

Or so he had thought initially, because roughly two weeks prior, he had been faced with a revelation which had brought him quite the shock, thus making him reconsider the things he had been trying to accomplish with his plan.

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the elder brother of Ōtsutsuki Hamura, had somehow returned from beyond death and was once more walking the earth.

And not only had he come back among the living, but he also seemed to have had a significant change of heart, because the first thing he had done after stopping mankind's latest petty war, had been to take away all of their chakra, without as much as asking a single question.

Toneri had heard stories about how the elder brother of Hamura had gifted part of his power to the humans and nurtured them toward an era of peace, so it was very surprising to see the reincarnated man act in such a manner toward the people for whom he had once cared so deeply.

Though, the young teen eventually rationalized that this change on Hagoromo's part had been due to him witnessing how mankind had treated his teachings over the course of history with their constant warring and weaponizing of chakra.

It must have definitely been a heavy blow to the man to see what had become of his legacy after the passing of a millennium.

But beyond this initial surprise on his part, Toneri was filled with admiration toward the legendary man when he had realized that his action of taking away chakra from the humans had actually been a form of punishment for them.

And despite thinking that they deserved much more than what Hagoromo had given them as punishment, he soon realized that it was no longer exactly his business anymore, because with the elder brother's return, most of the things he had been entrusted with kind of fell apart.

The Celestial Decree of Hamura spoke about observing mankind for a thousand years and deciding if they were worthy or not of Hagoromo's gift. And if not, then they were to be punished for their misuse of it.

However, now that the man himself was back, Toneri wasn't exactly sure of what to do, because it was clear to him that the elder brother still had some plans for the humans.

Not that he would have done anything even if he knew what to do, because for one, he was aware that his authority was greatly superseded by the legendary man's presence, and for two, he was neither stupid, nor suicidal.

He had seen the brief display of Hagoromo's might during his intervention in the last shinobi world war, and it paled even when compared to the feats he knew to have been achieved by Hamura himself.

So in the end, he had decided to simply wait and see how things would proceed from that point onward, because there was honestly nothing else that he could have done.

He might have felt rather disheartened and disappointed at the fact that he hadn't managed to accomplish the Thousand Year Plan, however, there was truly nothing he could have done about it.

And yet, after two weeks of waiting, he was once again faced with surprise, one even bigger than the last time, when two unknown Ōtsutsuki had suddenly come to Earth in search for the chakra obtained by Hagoromo prior to his departure after the conclusion of the war.

But instead of finding him, they had actually encountered his clone, a meeting that had not ended on a too great of a note, and that mainly due to the attitude of the clone itself, which had clearly diverged from what it was supposed to be, given the orders imparted to it by its creator.

Though, what had followed after that would have definitely made anything else prior pale in comparison, because with the eventual arrival of Hagoromo—or rather Naruto as he had taken to calling himself after his reincarnation, back from wherever he had been gone to, things had taken on a very dramatic turn.

Toneri might have been more than slightly surprised to find out that the legendary man had also been accompanied in his return by a young woman about whom he had referred to as his wife, however, that had been quickly replaced by shock and disbelief after a relatively short time.

Inevitably, Naruto alongside that woman, Yuno, had been left with no other option than to face those two Ōtsutsuki in combat, although, after several minutes into their fight, Toneri had been brought to a rather startling realization.

That woman was more than scary, and the things that she had done to her opponent, Kinshiki, had managed to actually incite his pity for him.

Yet, her actions had become even more vicious and merciless after Naruto had allowed himself to be temporarily incapacitated in order to be able to make his final assessment on the situation.

And despite the fact that she had been eventually overpowered by the one formerly known as Momoshiki, everything had changed when that individual had tried to lay his hands on her.

Toneri might have not viewed Hamura's brother as a frightening person, however, the things that he had been given to witness from that point of the fight and onward had made him completely reconsider his opinion.

Calling their altercation a battle after Naruto had reentered it would have been a fallacy, because in truth, what had followed after that point had been a one sided massacre on the legendary man's part.

The display of power he had been shown was enough to cement in his mind the simple fact that Naruto was the God of this world, and that trying to harm his wife in any manner was equal to a self imposed death sentence.

The events past the conclusion of their meeting were unfortunately left unknown to Toneri, but that was due to the fact that he had felt too overwhelmed by what he had witnessed to continue watching through his projection technique.

He might have felt awe and admiration toward Naruto's actions, however, he couldn't lie to himself and say that he had not been afraid after being shown such an unfathomable extent of his power.

Witnessing someone get punched so hard that they would end up crashing into another planet tended to leave quite the impression on most people.

And that was the exact reason for why Toneri had spent the past two days in the silent confines of his room as he tried to recover from the shock of these recent events.

He wasn't exactly sure about what would happen next, however, right now he wasn't in the mood to think about it either.

The apprehension currently filling him was much less than that of two days ago, yet was still enough to make him not want to leave his castle within the moon.

And in the end, whether he left or not didn't exactly matter, because he wasn't exactly trying to hide from Naruto. Not that he could have done such a thing anyway, because it was impossible to hide from someone who could manipulate the fabric of space-time at will. But rather he was simply feeling less tense inside the familiar setting of his palace.

Besides, he was certain that should Naruto actually wish to meet him, then he would visit him anyway.

Toneri felt a tinge of excitement flood him at that thought.

It seemed that despite his current apprehension, the admiration he held for the legendary figure was enough to get him thrilled at the prospect of meeting him in person. And for good reason as well, because he was essentially one of the two remaining members of his extinct clan, on top of actually being his many, many times great uncle.

The young teen was suddenly brought out of his deep musings when he heard a high pitched yell that seemed to have originated from the front hall of his palace.

A moment later, his eyes visibly narrowed at the very unusual occurrence, before he quickly stood up from his bed as he went to investigate the source of this commotion.

#########

Hidan jumped out the other end of the portal he had just entered a few seconds earlier, his echoing voice closely following him as he continued to yell in excitement while still being in midair.

As he landed on the ground a moment later, his brow slightly creased in mild confusion when he finally took in his new surroundings.

"Man, the moon sure is weird" he commented as he glanced around himself.

He seemed to be surrounded by a bunch of large floating rocks, just like the one on which he had apparently landed only a couple seconds ago.

The lighting and atmosphere of the place was also equally odd with how artificial it seemed to be, however, he quickly discarded that train of thought when his eyes finally settled on the sight that stood only several dozen feet away from his landing position.

It was some sort of weirdly designed palace with an architecture that seemed to be too complicated for him to even bother trying to understand, though, he could easily sum everything he was currently looking at with one word.

Fancy.

The grey haired man's attention was once more drawn away from the imposing building before his eyes when he noticed a dozen or so blasts of yellow energy rapidly approach his position from the direction of the castle.

Realizing that it wouldn't feel particularly nice if he were to stand still and take those blasts head on, he quickly leapt from the spot, landing a moderate distance away from the significant explosion that rocked the large island a second later.

Feeling some of his previous excitement return, he quickly looked for the source of the attack and immediately spotted the small, fancily-dressed army that was only growing in numbers as it surrounded him.

However, upon a closer look to the individuals comprising said army, and after also remembering the earlier words of his Lord, he felt disappointed as he realized that he was actually facing a bunch of puppets.

"Damn, this is no fun..." Hidan whined childishly as he continued to stare down the still growing army of automatons. "Puppets are really no fun, y'know?"

Not really expecting to receive an answer to the words he had anyway spoken more to himself, the grey haired man materialized his trusty scythe and made a mad dash toward the puppets in front of him, his weapon grazing the earth and kicking up dust as he sprinted across the floating island.

The puppets fired another volley of energy blasts at the rapidly approaching man, to which Hidan responded by leaping high into the air and using his extensible scythe to maneuver himself behind the nearest line of opponents, bisecting them in one swift and fluid motion as he landed.

An eager smile found its way on his face as he realized that despite them being a bunch of lifeless dolls, he could still make it work, because no matter what it was, cutting up some stuff was always bound to make for at least a bit of fun for him.

Dodging another salvo of yellow tinted blasts, Hidan dashed to the group of puppets to his left as he let out an excited yell, before he swung his scythe in a wide arc, intent on cleaving them in half as well.

However, much to his disappointment, most of the automatons managed to react in time and jumped away from his strike, and he ended up cutting through only one of them, which was the closest one to him and had the least time to move.

"Heh, not bad for a bunch of dumb puppets" the scythe wielding man commented as he prepared to jump once more into the fray. "Though, I wonder where's the guy controlling you lot."

A moment later, he bolted off from his spot just in time to avoid a series of blasts that converged on his previous position, before he threw his scythe at the group of puppets approaching from his front, watching with glee as the sharpened triple blades cleaved with ease through their targets.

Rushing through the falling remains of the destroyed automatons, Hidan dodged more blasts coming from his rear, however, despite his nimbleness and sharp reflexes, due to the sheer number of opponents that he was facing, one yellow orb of energy still grazed his left ear, leaving it slightly singed.

"Hey, you stupid dolls, that stung!" he exclaimed, jumping to the side in order to evade another series of incoming blasts as he also made sure to take down any puppets that he passed by during his brief flight.

By the time he landed, the burn on his ear seemed to have already healed, and after he readied his scythe, he was about to once again launch himself randomly toward some nearby automatons.

However, before he could have done so, he had to stop himself when he noticed that the entire army of puppets surrounding him had suddenly went still as if waiting for further instructions.

He looked around in slight confusion as he searched for the cause to this strange occurrence, and after several moments of inspecting his surroundings, he eventually noticed the unfamiliar presence by the entrance of the imposing palace behind him.

Quickly turning around to face the newcomer, the grey haired man rested his large scythe on his right shoulder as he took in the appearance of the person who was slowly walking toward him amidst the countless, unmoving puppets.

It was a young pale-skinned boy in his late teenage years, with shaggy white hair, and attractive if not somewhat feminine facial features. His eyes were closed, and on his collarbones he had six magatama designs tattooed akin to a necklace.

He was clothed in a white, high-collared kimono tied with a black sash, over which he wore a pale green, longer and wider sash tied at the right shoulder. On the back of his kimono was depicted the yellow sun and moon emblem of the Ōtsutsuki branch family, and beneath his robes, he wore a pair of black, fingerless gloves, long, dark colored leggings, and black sandals.

"Who are you?" the boy in his late teens calmly inquired as he stopped several feet away from what he had labeled as a definite intruder.

However, as he regarded the grey haired man in person, the youth only felt his previous questions about him further grow, because while he could clearly sense the Ōtsutsuki chakra lying deep within the man, he was certain that he was not of his kin—or at least not entirely.

This man might have possessed the particular chakra of an Ōtsutsuki, yet it was not of his own, but rather it was simply clinging to it in await, something which left the teen quite confused as he tried to figure out what this all was about.

The aforementioned intruder, on the other hand, was looking with a blank expression at the newcomer as he wondered if his Lord's nephew might in fact be a niece.

He definitely didn't doubt the words of his God, however, the person currently standing a few feet in front of him could easily pass for a girl with how feminine his features seemed to be.

Deciding that it would much easier to just ask, Hidan opened his mouth and spoke.

"Hey, you're a guy, right?" he questioned in an uncharacteristically serious manner for the current situation as he eyed the boy up and down several times.

The question seemed to quickly snap the white haired boy out of his contemplation, prompting him to slightly furrow his brow as he replied.

"Yes, I am indeed a male, however, you have yet to answer my previous question. Who are you, and how did you come to possess Ōtsutsuki chakra mixed with your own?"

Hidan's response was to simply continue staring at him for a couple more seconds, before a grin formed on his face.

"You could've definitely fooled me with that face of yours and this army of dolls that are dressed up like they're ready to have a tea party."

Despite their obvious teasing nature, it seemed that the grey haired man's words had not been received too well.

"I am not going to ask so nicely the next time" the boy spoke once more, the beginning of a frown visible on his features as his tone also took on a discernible edge to it. "Who are you?"

"Hey, hey, you don't have to be such a stick in the mud, y'know?" Hidan replied in a slightly chiding tone. "Learn to take a joke, will ya?"

"Maybe if you learned some manners, then I would consider your proposal."

"Tsk" Hidan clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Man, you're really no fun."

"I'm still waiting" the teen reminded.

"Okay, fine, you don't have to nag me on this" the scythe wielding man complained. "Anyway, I guess that you are definitely the nephew that my Lord has spoken of, so all I can tell you is my name and the fact that you'll have to wait until he and Lady Yuno get here if you want to have any other questions answered."

A look of realization dawned on the youth's face as he registered the man's words.

This man's presence here definitely made sense to him now and his possession of Ōtsutsuki chakra was no longer a mystery either.

Since he obviously was his loyal servant, Lord Naruto must have given it to him at some point as a gift for his services.

However, what had struck the boy most out of what he had just been told, was the part regarding the upcoming arrival of the legendary Ōtsutsuki and his wife, because the simple thought of meeting those two in person filled him with enough excitement to overcome the apprehension that he also felt at the idea of standing before two veritable deities.

"I'm Hidan, by the way" Hidan added after several moments of silence, pulling the white haired teen out of his musings. "Nice to meet ya, daifuku."

"What did you just call me?" the pale skinned youth asked in a dangerous tone as his earlier frown returned on his beautiful visage.

"I called you daifuku" the grey haired man replied nonchalantly. "What, you never heard of it? Though, since you've been living alone inside the moon, I suppose that it should make sense for you to not know about this kind of stuff..."

"I assure you that I am familiar with the term" the boy responded evenly. "However, if you call me that again, then you might find yourself regretting it."

His tone took on a warning note toward the end, which was accentuated by the simultaneous movement of the puppets surrounding them—they brought their hands in front of themselves in a position that quickly reminded Hidan of imminent energy blasts he might have a hard time dodging from his current position.

"Hey, hey, hey, what did I say earlier about learning to take a joke?" the scythe wielding man voiced with his arms raised in a disarming gesture.

"And what did I say about you learning some manners?" the teen refuted coolly.

"Heh, point taken" Hidan replied with a grin, which became wider toward the end. "Daifuku~"

"I guess that I'll have to beat some manners into you, then" was the calm response that the man's previous words garnered from the youth, before countless yellow orbs of energy slowly blazed to life between the palms of each and every one of the puppets.

"Hey—" the grey haired man tried to reason with the boy in an attempt to avoid being bombarded with numerous blasts of chakra, however, was interrupted by a very familiar voice which sounded from a short distance behind him.

"I see that you both have become quite well acquainted with each other."

#########

"I see that you both have become quite well acquainted with each other."

Hidan quickly swerved his head to look in the opposite direction, and noticed the sight of his Lord as he stepped out of the still opened portal while accompanied by his wife.

From the corner of his eyes, he also noticed that the army of puppets had stopped charging their attacks and that the pale skinned teen seemed to have had a one-eighty switch in his personality with the expression that had just made its way on his face.

"Lord Naruto. Lady Yuno" the boy spoke with admiration in his eyes as he gave a slight bow to the approaching duo. "It's a great honor to meet you in person."

"Hello, Toneri" Naruto replied in a pleasant tone as he and his wife stopped a few meters away from the youth, who didn't seem surprised that they knew his name.

"Hi~" Yuno gave her own cheerful greeting, before she hugged her beloved's arm.

"So, your name is Toneri, eh?" Hidan mused out loud with a casual grin as he finally dismissed his scythe now that he was sure no fight will occur with his Lord's arrival. "I still think I like daifuku more, though..."

This comment elicited a giggle from the rose haired girl, and another slight furrowing of the brow from the pale skinned teen himself.

"Now, now, Hidan, there will be enough time for jesting later on, but right now I'd like for you to be more serious" Naruto voiced as he briefly glanced at the grey haired man.

"Yes, my Lord" the man immediately replied with a lowering of his head.

Returning his attention back on his nephew, who had a pleased smile forming on his face, Naruto spoke again.

"Before we get to the main point which would be the reason for my visit, there is something that I believe you would like to ask me, more specifically, something pertaining to our clan and its fate over the past thousand years."

A momentary silence followed as Toneri immediately began thinking about what it was that the elder brother of Hamura had hinted toward with his previous words.

Several moments passed, before he finally came to a realization as his eyes slightly opened, allowing the others present to partially see the empty orbits beneath the eyelids.

Naruto and Yuno didn't seem to be surprised by this fact, however, Hidan looked like he might have wanted to make a joke about it, though, had to refrain himself as per his Lord's words from earlier.

"About the Celestial Decree..." Toneri began in a serious tone as he closed his eyes. "I've been wondering about it lately, so could you please tell me the first version which you had spoken to your brother a thousand years ago, Lord Naruto?"

"Very well, Toneri" Naruto replied. "What I have told my brother a millennium ago was to simply wait and observe mankind for the upcoming thousand years. However, from what I have learnt, it seems that my words had become distorted after my brother's passing."

An expression of shock settled on Toneri's features as soon as he registered what the snow haired young man had just told him.

So, the branch family had been mistaken all this time? And they even massacred the main family as a result of their misunderstanding?

It was revolting as it was shameful, and the teen couldn't find anything to say in the defense of their actions.

"Although, with my intervention from two weeks and a few days ago, you could say that the decree had been voided, because I have taken the matters into my own hands once more."

Toneri looked in confusion at the young man, his previous emotions still visible on his visage as he tried to make order through his thoughts.

"My nephew" Naruto began in a more gentle voice when he noticed the expression present on the boy's face. "Getting lost within actions of the past is nothing but a folly. Especially now that the world has been changed and its slate has been wiped clean" he slowly raised his left hand, palm facing upward. "The past is no longer relevant beyond simply being a reminder of the mistakes that should not be repeated. You need not to feel repulsed, ashamed, or regretful at that which no longer has any meaning, since it will only keep you shackled and burdened" he offered the boy an assuring smile. "So, come, Toneri. Shake off your bindings and come join me in the truth that I am offering you."

Yuno had to stifle a giggle at her husband's words when she understood what he was aiming at with them, which prompted her to bury her face in the sleeve of his robe as she hid her smile from any of the onlookers, exception being her beloved himself, who was aware of her general mood due to their bond and made sure to send her the mental equivalent of an amused smile.

Hidan, on the other hand, looked like he had abandoned the conversation for the past few minutes, since he had once again been overwhelmed by the discussed topic, and instead he had opted to mess around with the unresponsive puppets that he was placing in awkward positions to amuse himself.

Toneri, however, looked like he had been deeply moved by Naruto's words and slowly took steps forward as he approached the silver haired young man.

"Lord Naruto..." he spoke in a soft and impassioned voice as he kept his hollow eyes fixated on the young man's violet ones. His previous words had struck deeply within him and cleared away all of the doubts from his mind. And the closer he reached to him, the more relieved and free he felt.

"Cast away the burdens of your past, my nephew" Naruto spoke once more when Toneri got within an arm's length of him. "Forget that which no longer carries any meaning and dedicate yourself to me. Do so and you will experience the clarity and joy of the truth."

"Yes, Lord Naruto" the white haired boy spoke in reverence as he stopped in front of the young man and knelt. "I will."

"Very well" Naruto responded as he placed his extended left hand on Toneri's head, before it was joined by his right one, which his wife was still holding, albeit a bit more loosely than earlier. "Then, rejoice my nephew, because you shall become the one to spread the only truth and oversee those who choose to uphold it henceforth."

His words were immediately followed by the lighting up of his palms, an action which managed to draw Hidan's attention from his previous activities, as they were engulfed in distinct glows—dark for his left and white for his right, before a familiar looking seal appeared on the teen's forehead for a few moments.

Toneri didn't have more than a few seconds to ponder on what he had been told, before he suddenly felt a sensation of empowerment envelop him and reach deep within his being.

It didn't take him long to realize that what he currently felt was in fact Naruto's chakra that was blending with his own in a very similar manner to what he had sensed earlier in Hidan.

The overwhelming chakra rapidly converged toward the center of his forehead, before it seemed to settle down and slowly vanish, until it was just barely out of his grasp and would require a conscious focus on his part to be brought back to the surface.

An odd tingling sensation in his eyes quickly brought the teen's attention away from the chakra he had been gifted with, and when he opened them, shock was immediately etched into his features as he realized that his sight had been restored.

Yet, that was not all that he could feel to have been changed about him.

Knowledge of the nine creeds that held the truth his Lord had spoken of were present in his mind, just as knowledge of the symbol of his faith was also there.

"Thank you, Lord Sovereign" Toneri finally broke the silence as he spoke in an almost fanatical tone. "Thank you for bestowing your grace and power upon me. I hereby vow to follow and uphold your will until I take my last breath."

"You can rise, Toneri. Your life as the Head Overseer of the Esoteric faith begins henceforth" Naruto replied, his lips forming into a smile as he removed his hands from atop the boy's head. "And worry not about your eventual demise, for it will never come to be. I have made you immortal, so even if your body were to be destroyed, the seal which I have engraved directly into your spirit will keep you within the world until you are returned to flesh once more."

"I cannot find the words to express my gratitude in the face of your grace, my Lord" the pale skinned teen spoke with a bow of his head.

"That is of no consequence, Toneri" Naruto replied calmly. "I do not need to hear words to know what you are feeling" his smile stretched further. "My eyes see everything, after all."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Now then, my nephew, apart from your immortality, as you have already noticed, I have given back your sight which had been sealed when you were born" the silver haired young man explained. "However, the eyes which you now possess are not merely the Byakugan, but rather a step beyond."

Toneri's eyes widened at the realization.

"Indeed. I have gifted you with the Tenseigan, the dōjutsu which has been wielded in the past by my brother."

The boy simply remained speechless upon hearing Naruto himself say it.

Hidan was scratching his head in slight confusion as he probably wondered what the Tenseigan was, whereas Yuno wondered why she and her beloved didn't possess said dōjutsu as well."

"Hey, Naruto, why don't we also possess the Tenseigan?" the rose haired girl asked in curiosity.

"That is because there is no need for us to awaken it" Naruto responded plainly as he glanced at his wife. "The Tenseigan is a mutation of my brother's kekkei genkai Byakugan in an attempt to match the great power of my mother's kekkei mōra variant. And since we already possess the same kind of Byakugan as Kaguya, there is no point in having the Tenseigan."

"Oh, that makes sense" Yuno spoke with a smile. "Thank you for the clarification, darling."

"You're welcome, my dear."

The snow haired young man returned his gaze on his nephew, before he spoke.

"Now then, I assume that you would like to see the power of the Tenseigan for yourself, no?"

This quickly snapped Toneri out of his previous stupor.

"Yes, Lord Naruto" he immediately replied. "If it's not too much, then I'd like to test the dōjutsu for myself."

"Very well."

Following his words, a rift suddenly opened in the air in front of him and Yuno, in which they promptly entered.

A moment later, they were also joined by Toneri and Hidan, the former slightly frowning at the latter's grinning face after noticing the handiwork he had done to a few dozen of his puppets.

"Man, I'm really looking forward to our future time spent together as partners, Toneri" the grey haired man spoke in a boisterous tone as he brought an arm around the youth's neck in a somewhat uncomfortable hug.

Toneri's response as the portal closed behind them was to simply sigh, because while the man was still being mildly annoying, he had at least dropped that stupid nickname from earlier.

#########

"Hey, Naruto, how come there's oxygen on the surface of the moon?" Yuno questioned half a minute after she exited the portal along with the others. "Was it pulled from the Earth when you created the moon a thousand years ago?"

"Indeed, my dear" Naruto replied. "However, that alone wouldn't have been enough to keep the breathable atmosphere stable."

"Because of the very weak gravity, right?" she added.

"Exactly" he responded. "But to circumvent that, my brother had created a tool that essentially functions as both a terraforming device and power source. The Tenseigan Energy Vessel."

"Tenseigan Energy Vessel? What's that?" Yuno asked once more in curiosity.

Hidan seemed to be curious about it as well, and Toneri gained a reminiscent look in his eyes at the mention of his clan's sacred treasure.

"Hmm, I'd say that it depends on whom you ask" the white haired young man detailed. "To me, it is an important family heirloom made by my brother, however, for Toneri, it is the sacred treasure of the clan, which has been honed through the suffering of every member who had given up their eyes to be sealed within it alongside Hamura's own eyes to increase its power."

Naruto briefly glanced at his nephew, noticing the pensive smile that formed on his face at his words.

"But, in essence, it is a very powerful, room-sized generator that can produce the energy equivalent of the sun" he continued as he gazed back at his wife. "It is what powers everything inside the moon, including Toneri's army of puppets, which he can easily control with only his mind."

"I see" Yuno voiced with a cheerful smile. "Thanks for the explanation, honey."

"You're welcome, my dear."

"Eh..." Hidan uttered with a look of confusion present on his face, more to himself than to anyone else listening, however, when he noticed that he had managed to draw everyone's attention, he scratched his head as he gave a sheepish chuckle.

This earned him a chuckle from Naruto and a giggle from Yuno, though, in the case of Toneri, his previous display seemed to have garnered a more different reaction.

"Seriously, Hidan? You weren't able to understand that much?" the pale skinned teen voiced in mild disbelief. "I can't help but wonder how you've survived long enough for Lord Naruto to find you..."

Hidan gave another laugh at his partner's words, before he spoke casually.

"Oh, that's easy. I was sort of immortal even back then—hey!" he abruptly stopped when his mind finally caught up with the full meaning of Toneri's words. "That was totally an insult!"

"Your astuteness never ceases to amaze me" the white haired boy replied with thinly veiled sarcasm, causing an expression of outrage to manifest on the grey haired man's face.

"Hey, you wanna say that to my face?!" Hidan challenged angrily, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"I just did, you dolt" Toneri replied smoothly, eliciting a brief look of confusion on the less intelligent man's face, which quickly morphed back into one of outrage.

"Hey, fu—" Hidan tried to say, but was quickly interrupted mid sentence.

"Shut up, and pay attention to what Lord Naruto has to say" the short haired youth spoke in a harsher tone, before he looked away from the grey haired man and back to Naruto.

Hidan decided to put an end to the argument for the time being, in favor of listening to his Lord, however, he promised to continue it at a later time, preferably when they were alone, so that if things escalated, then he'd be able to also have a good fight.

"Before you can test your new eyes, Toneri, I'll first have to transport this moon to my core dimension and replace it with another one from a random dimension, as I would like to keep the things that are inside it intact" Naruto spoke as he began infusing chakra to his third eye.

Toneri and Yuno seemed to easily understand what those things that he didn't want to get damaged were, however, for Hidan it seemed to be a lost cause, since the look of excitement on his face probably had to do with just the moon swapping part of the sentence.

"Oh, and one last thing. Don't worry about the atmosphere disappearing after I swap the moon, because you no longer have to breathe in order to live. However, if you still wish to do it out of habit, then simply infuse some wind natured chakra in your lungs."

"Okay" Yuno replied with a smile.

"Of course, Lord Naruto" Toneri spoke as he also seemed to be quite anticipative of what he knew that would come.

"Yes, my Lord" Hidan replied with a grin as he stared intently at the snow haired young man, waiting for whatever that was supposed to happen, to happen.

"Now then..." Naruto uttered as the skin in the center of his forehead split open, revealing his crimson Rinne Sharingan.

A moment later, and he surged his chakra in preparation for the technique—something that only Yuno was able to sense due to the sheer magnitude of power, though, had Toneri used his Byakugan, then he would have been able to see the chakra building up in the young man's third eye.

Yuno couldn't help but feel amazed at the incredible speed with which her beloved had realized the exchange of cosmic bodies.

It had been instantaneous, and only the fact that she could sense his chakra made it possible for her to notice the actual change caused to the world by his Amenominaka.

Another moment passed, followed another one, and then by a few more, until Hidan finally couldn't take it anymore and made his thoughts known.

"When will the moons be swapped, my Lord?"

Toneri seemed to be sharing the same question to some extent, as well.

Naruto gave his faithful priest an amused smile.

"The moon has already been replaced" he revealed casually, getting shocked expressions from both Hidan and Toneri. "You should already be able to notice the atmosphere dissipating due to the lack of proper gravity."

"Incredible..." the pale skinned teen breathed out in astonishment.

He had seen the technique before during Lord Naruto's fight with Momoshiki, however, now that he was able to be there in person it felt even more surreal to have the world change right before your eyes and be unable to even realize it.

"Maaan~, I totally missed it when I blinked earlier" Hidan whined childishly as he poked his foot against the dusty surface of the replaced moon.

"You wouldn't have noticed it even if you paid attention, you idiot" Toneri interjected as soon as he recovered from the previous shock. "The transfer had been instantaneous. The only one capable of sensing it must have been Lady Yuno."

Yuno confirmed the boy's words with a nod, however, Hidan didn't seem to be too interested by these details.

Instead, he seemed to be annoyed at Toneri's initial response of calling him an idiot.

"Hey, you did it again!" the grey haired man exclaimed with a tick mark on his forehead. "You wanna settle this with a fight, or what?! Huh, daifuku?"

Toneri was about to give another harsh retort to the man's stupidity, however, he stopped himself before he could have opened his mouth as an idea entered his mind.

He promptly ignored Hidan's insistent stare and shifted his gaze to Naruto.

"May I begin?" he asked politely, to which the silver haired young man simply smiled.

A smile of his own appeared on Toneri's visage as he directed his chakra to his eyes, which turned into the Byakugan for a split second, before they changed once again, the pupil becoming a deep blue, whereas the irides turned a lighter shade of blue with an intricate, white floral pattern.

"Man, the Tenseigan looks kinda weird" Hidan stared intently at Toneri's eyes for a few moments, before he commented with a grin. "And it's also a bit girly, but I guess that it suits you."

He gave a chuckle at his own joke, before he reassumed his previous grin.

"I think it looks pretty nice, doesn't it, Naruto?" Yuno asked cutely.

"Yes, it does" Naruto replied, before he glanced at his nephew. "It's just as I remember it when my brother first showed it to me. It definitely suits you, Toneri."

"Thank you, Lord Naruto" the pale skinned boy glanced at the rose haired girl. "Lady Yuno."

"C'mon, dude" Hidan suddenly voiced, sounding rather bored and impatient. "Do something interesting already."

Yuno giggled in Naruto's sleeve in response, and Naruto himself smiled in amusement at what he knew that would come.

Toneri remained silent and simply went through a few hand seals, and as his hands stopped in the tiger seal, he was quickly engulfed by a cyan colored shroud of chakra, which had six magatama symbols on the collar, dark markings over his eyebrows and lower eyelids, and a single rabbit-like horn extending from his forehead.

"So, how is the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Toneri?" Naruto inquired as he inspected his nephew's heightened form.

"It's... amazing" the teen spoke as he took a few steps around, his hair and clothes billowing in a nonexistent breeze.

"I'll say it, dude, you look pretty badass right now" Hidan gave his own input as he studied his partner's transformed appearance.

Yuno, on the other hand, chose to remain silent and simply watch the proceedings as she laid comfortably on her beloved's right arm.

Toneri extended his right hand, and in front of his opened palm nine gudōdama manifested.

He focused his chakra into one of the orbs, causing it to glow the same color as his shroud and grasped it in his hand.

" **Ginrin Tensei Baku (Silver Wheel Rebirth Explosion)"** he uttered, hovering several meters in the air as he aimed his hand in the distance, before a powerful, massive silvery typhoon was released from the truth-seeking orb.

The vortex of wind easily tore through the moon's crust and continued to dig deeper until it emerged on the other side, leaving behind a fairly wide tunnel through the celestial body.

Hidan let out a whistle at the destruction caused by the technique, whereas Naruto and Yuno simply watched in silence.

"That was flashy but still pretty weak, man" the grey haired man commented, unabashed. "I've seen Pain do more impressive shit, so if that's all, then you leave me kinda disappointed."

Toneri's response was to allow a rather sinister smile to form on his lips as he raised the same hand upwards, prompting all of the gudōdama to merge together, before he infused most of his chakra in the resulting orb as a golden light momentarily enveloped everything in the vicinity.

"The fuck, man!" Hidan yelled angrily. "Cut it out with the light show! I can't see shit here!"

However, as the light began to die down, the man's next words were caught in his throat when he noticed the gigantic golden sword that was rapidly forming in the teen's hand, reaching to such heights that he couldn't even see where it actually ended.

" **Kinrin Tensei Baku (Golden Wheel Rebirth Explosion)"** Toneri voiced as he gripped the sword's handle and swung it downward as if it weighted as much as a feather.

Hidan didn't have much time to admire the beautiful sight of the descending golden edge, because he soon realized that it was heading straight toward his position.

"Fuuuck—" he shouted as he tried to move his body away from what could be best described as certain death for most, or a truckload of pain for him.

Fortunately, due to his great reaction time and sharp reflexes, he was able to evade the approaching blade in time, before it actually sliced cleanly through him, and he only lost a few strands of his hair as the glowing edge whizzed past him in its trajectory.

Hidan watched with his mouth agape as the golden sword cut cleanly through the moon in mere seconds, before it emerged from the other side, where it finally dissipated.

Moments later, cracks formed alongside the place where the sword had sliced through the moon, and the two halves began to slowly distance one from the other.

"Hey, you asshole!" Hidan yelled after he managed to recover from most of his previous shock. "You were definitely aiming for me with that huge ass sword from before, weren't you?!" he glowered at the still floating teen. "That would've hurt like a bitch if I didn't manage to get away from it!"

"Whatever do you mean, Hidan?" Toneri responded in an innocent tone as he landed back on the bisected moon's surface. "I was aiming at that crater over there" he pointed in the distance at the clean cut canyon that he had made through a sizable crater. "You just happened to be in the way of my attack, so it would've been your fault had you failed to dodge in time."

The grey haired man looked like he might have wanted to continue with the argument, however, to his better judgement, he decided to drop it for now, lest he actually incurred the teen's wrath for real the next time.

He wasn't exactly dying to experience the cutting edge of one of those gigantic swords.

"Fine" he relented. "I'll let this one slide, so you better be thankful to me for it. Ya hear me?"

"Yes, yes, Hidan" Toneri agreed offhandedly as he powered down from his Tenseigan Chakra Mode and deactivated his dōjutsu.

"Is that all for now?" Naruto asked after a few moments of silence. "Or would you like to test anything else?"

"No, Lord Naruto, that would be all" the pale skinned boy replied, before a brief smile formed on his lips. "I've had enough fun with my last technique."

This earned him a giggle from Yuno and a chuckle from Naruto, whereas Hidan simply grunted in indignation as he kicked a pebble in the abyss between the separated halves of the moon.

"Ah, yes, the Golden Wheel Rebirth Explosion" Naruto spoke with a smile. "A very powerful technique, indeed. It reminds me of my own Sword of Nunoboko."

"Sword of Nunoboko?" Yuno questioned curiously as she didn't recall ever hearing of that name before.

Her question seemed to be mirrored on both Hidan's and Toneri's visages as well.

"I suppose that I can show it to you" Naruto decided. "But first, allow me to restore the moon to its proper state."

Following his words, he clapped his hands, and not even a split second later, the two halves of the moon were quickly brought together and mended anew as if nothing had ever sliced through them several minutes ago.

He didn't say anything about Hidan's and Toneri's expressions of amazement at the casual way in which he had made the moon whole once again, and instead began to hover above the surface, stopping a significant distance away, but still within the visual range of the onlookers.

He brought his left hand to his right side as if preparing to draw an invisible sword and opened his palm while a gudōdama began to form centimeters away from it.

The dark orb continued to grow in size until it was bigger than his palm, moment when Naruto grasped onto it and intoned in a voice that echoed down to the moon's surface.

" **Shinken (Divine Sword):"**

The truth-seeking orb immediately began expanding at a rapid pace behind him, before it started glowing a blinding white as more and more chakra was being infused into it.

"Holy fuck!" Hidan exclaimed as he stared with his mouth half opened at the humongous sword that illuminated the darkness of the cosmos with such a radiance that it almost blinded him from his position at least a few hundred yards away from it. "This shit is on a completely different level from what you've shown us earlier, Toneri. You can't even compete with it, man..."

Toneri could only nod in response as he was too dumbstruck by the sight that his eyes were currently witnessing.

Yuno, on the other hand, was watching with excitement clearly discernible in her eyes as her beloved was preparing to unleash his obviously overpowered technique upon the unfortunate world.

As soon as his technique reached its peak, Naruto swung the gigantic white sword of pure chakra in an arc around himself as he spun in midair in order to achieve a three hundred and sixty degree cut.

" **Nunoboko no Ken (Sword of Nunoboko)."**

His words were accompanied by a blinding light that covered the darkness of the universe in a round shape for a brief moment, before it quickly dispersed as the technique was ended.

However, in the wake of the whitish blade, an endless void, darker than even the space surrounding it was left.

Naruto glanced at the enormous tear in the fabric of space-time for several moments as he realized that he might have put a bit too much power in his technique, and idly wondered if he had accidentally sliced through something of major importance within whatever other universes that his sword must have passed through.

' _Well, I don't exactly have the time to check for something like that right now, so I'll just fix reality for now, and deal with any other possible damage at a later time'_ he decided as he opened a portal in front of him.

He couldn't exactly go through the seemingly never-ending rift below him, because he would end up in a random world, unless he manually reconnected the space-time continuum.

' _Besides, if I have indeed caused any damage of major importance, then chances are that I might be contacted by some entity, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. And if not, then I'll just do an extensive search after the honeymoon.'_

And with that, he stepped into the portal as he headed back to the surface of the moon.

#########

"That was the single most awesome thing I've ever seen in my life" Hidan declared with a rather disturbing grin on his face, being the first to break the silence that had settled among the spectators on the moon after they had witnessed Naruto's technique.

"I'll have to agree with you on this, Hidan" Toneri replied, still barely out of his previous stupor.

"Hey, Toneri, do you have any clue about why the space is different where our Lord has cut through it with his sword?" the grey haired man asked curiously as he lightly nudged his partner with his elbow.

"Actually, no" the teen promptly replied. "That's something I'm wondering about myself."

Both of the men's attentions were brought to the rose haired girl when they heard her giggle in response to their previous words.

"It's pretty simple" she spoke with her normally cheerful smile. "Darling's technique has cut through the fabric of the universe itself" she giggled again. "I guess that he either really went for the flashy bonus here, or he didn't hold back on his power at all."

She gave another giggle as she looked at their dumbstruck expressions.

"Don't think about it too much" she advised. "Just accept it as it is. It's easier on the mind to do so."

"Dude..." Hidan looked at his partner with an unsure expression. "I don't know how to respond to that."

Toneri glanced back with a similar expression. "Me neither..."

i"I mean, Lord Naruto actually sliced through the fucking reality, man" the grey haired man added. "I can't even understand how that shit works to begin with."

"Yes, Hidan, I get it" the pale skinned teen replied in a slightly tired tone. "Now be silent, because I'm about to get a headache."

"Uh... Okay, I guess?" Hidan half stated, half asked.

Several moments passed, and the two men's attention, as well as Yuno's were brought to the portal that suddenly opened in front of them.

Out of the portal stepped Naruto, who was immediately joined by his wife, who headed straight for his right hand to which she quickly latched onto.

"Honey, I think that you should give those two a brief explanation about the stages of gudōdama empowerment because they look pretty confused" the rose haired girl spoke with a giggle.

"Oh?" Naruto sounded as he glanced at his nephew and his faithful priest. "Is that so?"

They both nodded to that.

"Very well, but first let me deal with that hole in the universe above us" he spoke as he formed a half tiger seal with his left hand, focusing his chakra.

A moment later, and the tear in the space-time continuum began to rapidly stitch itself closed until it was completely mended within a few seconds.

"Alright, now let's begin" the snow haired young man spoke as he glanced at the two men, who were looking at him with widened eyes. "In essence, the standard truth-seeking orb is formed by combining all five basic nature transformations which allow it to reduce anything it touches into nothingness, the only exceptions being chakra itself and the user, who are immune."

Toneri and Hidan merely nodded almost mechanically in acknowledgement, prompting Yuno to giggle once again.

"Darling, I think you broke them with the show you put up earlier."

"Nonsense, my dear" Naruto replied. "There are just mentally fatigued after a very eventful day."

Yuno simply giggled and didn't say anything else.

"So, as I was saying, beyond that level it is possible to further empower a gudōdama by applying yin-yang release to it—such as in my, my wife's, and your case Toneri—which allows for the orbs to nullify anything that they come into contact with, be they of spiritual or physical origin, this time with the exception of the user and senjutsu chakra."

The two nodded once more, prompting Naruto to continue with his explanation.

"And beyond that point, one can bring the technique to an even greater level by directly infusing the orbs with their chakra, just as Toneri and I have done, which, depending on how powerful the user's chakra is, allows them to cut through higher planes of existence, or different dimensions altogether.i In you case, Toneri, your chakra is only strong enough to achieve the former, however, that is still powerful enough to be considered overpowered."

"I see..." Toneri was the first to speak of the two. "Thank you for the explanation, Lord Naruto."

"Yes, my Lord" Hidan followed in suit after a moment. "Thank you for telling us that. I might have not understood all of it, but I still got enough of it to get the general idea of how it works."

Toneri could only sigh at his partner's reply.

"Any other questions?" Naruto asked as he deactivated his Rinne Sharingan, allowing the skin on his forehead to stitch back together and cover it.

The two shook their head in response.

"Very well" Naruto spoke as he opened a portal in front of him. "Then, it's time to finally get back to Earth and finish the last of the preparations."

And with that, he entered the portal alongside his wife, leaving Toneri and Hidan behind as they had yet to move from their spot.

A couple seconds passed, before Hidan started to walk toward the portal, only to stop in front of it when he heard his name called by his partner.

"Hidan."

"What?" the grey haired man asked as he turned his head to look at Toneri.

"I... apologize for aiming at you with my sword earlier" the white haired teen voiced, sounding quite genuine.

After that he also walked to the portal, but was stopped in a similar fashion when Hidan suddenly addressed him.

"Toneri!" the man spoke with a grin as he brought the pale skinned boy in a one armed hug. "You're pretty nice! Don't worry, I'll forgive you."

"Let go of me, Hidan!" Toneri hissed as he tried to pry off the man's arm from around his neck.

"C'mon, tell me the truth" Hidan replied in a cheerful tone. "You actually like me, right?"

"Hidan, shut up, or I'm going to use you as target practice for my scattering chakra rosary" the white haired teen threatened.

"Aww, man, don't be shy..." the grey haired man continued in his lighthearted voice. "And what's a scattering chakra rosary?"

"Keep talking and you'll find out soon" Toneri spoke ominously.

"Gah, you're no fun, man" Hidan commented. "Loosen up a bit, will ya?"

This quickly earned him a pointed look from the boy, whose eyes were already reflecting the Tenseigan pattern.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up" the man relented, feeling mildly disappointed, but glad that his partner had deactivated those scary eyes.

"Good. Now get in the portal" Toneri ordered as he stepped in the portal alongside Hidan, who had yet to release him from his _friendly_ hold.

The grey haired man grinned as the portal closed behind them.

He might have lost this battle, but so far he was slowly winning the war. He would become best buddies with his partner in no time.

#########

"So, what do you think is gonna happen now?" Hidan asked in a whisper as he stepped out of the portal alongside his partner.

Toneri glanced around himself, noting that they were back in the destroyed Valley of the End, before he turned to look at the grey haired man.

"How about you stay silent for five minutes and just watch if you are so curious?" the teen retorted as he stopped walking and shifted his attention to the white haired young man and the rose haired girl standing several feet in front of him.

"Heh, I can do that" Hidan spoke in a cocky tone as he also stood still and released Toneri from the one-armed hold, before he moved his attention in the same direction as his partner, not noticing the small smirk that settled on the boy's face.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Yuno seemed to be having a discussion of their own as they stood atop the surface of the large lake that occupied most of the valley.

"Who is this last preparation going to be, darling?" Yuno asked with a cute smile. "Another one with _baggage_?"

Naruto's response was to let out a chuckle as he hugged her closer to him.

"Indeed" he replied with an amused smile. "My smile from earlier gave it away, didn't it?"

Yuno giggled at that. "Yep~"

Naruto gave another chuckle as he brought his hands together in a manner similar to praying, readying his chakra.

"Well then, let us begin" he spoke as both Toneri's and Hidan's gazes were fixated on him.

A moment later, and a whitish flame came forth into existence before him as it grew in size and intensity until it reached a little over half his height.

The chakra rapidly began to settle and acquire distinctive features, soon revealing the flickering form of a boy with a youthful appearance, messy-grey hair, pink pupil-less eyes, and a stitch-like scar running from under his left eye, all the way down to his cheek.

The youth was clothed in a grey, sleeveless shirt, a short-sleeved mesh armor over which he wore a green poncho, along with a turquoise sash around his waist, paired with a green apron over his dark green pants.

He also wore a pair of brown boots, whereas on his back, he carried a staff-like pole weapon taller than himself in size, with uneven sized hooks and a green flower decoration on the larger end.

The young looking male glanced around himself in confusion for the better part of the minute after his summoning, before his eyes finally settled on Naruto, more specifically his violet, ringed orbs.

"Hoh? So you recognize the Rinnegan?" the snow haired young man mused as he materialized his shakujō, watching how the silent boy stared at him with wide eyes and an expression of almost shock. "This simplifies things by quite the significant margin, then."

The grey haired youth continued to remain silent as he simply stared at the person in front of him as if he was looking at something not belonging to the world as he knew it.

"Yagura of the Bloody Mist" Naruto began in an even tone, finally jolting the boy from his stupor. "Do you know who I am?"

Yagura felt a pang of guilt stab at him from the inside at the mention of his nickname, however, he was too absorbed in the question that the entity in front of him had calmly posed to dwell that much on that emotion.

"God..." was all that he could get out in a whisper before the piercing gaze of those violet eyes that stared right through his soul.

Naruto smiled at his response. "Then can you guess why it is that I have brought you back from that dark place?"

"To... judge me?" Yagura asked unsurely.

"Not quite" Naruto replied, earning a confused look from the boy. "I have seen how the guilt that you felt for your actions, whether willing or unwilling, during your reign as the Fourth Water Shadow has weighted down on your spirit so much that you have been incapable of moving on to the Pure Realm."

Yagura didn't say anything and simply listened in silence as he once more felt a stab of guilt on the inside at those words.

"Which is why I have decided to offer you a chance at redemption in my eyes" Naruto continued. "Should you agree and dedicate yourself to my will, then you shall be given the truth that will wash away your guilt. And if you deny, then I will simply send you to the Pure Realm."

The grey haired boy stared with wide eyes as he took in what he had just been told.

This meeting had been so far almost surreal to him as he had never dreamt of such a thing. And it had only become more incredible during the last part when he had been given the choices to decide his fate.

At a first glance neither of them seemed to be an unsuitable choice, however, to him, being sent to the place where all the people that he had made suffer were, would be so much worse than having to spend an eternity with his guilt in the purgatory.

He was definitely not ready yet to face the anger of those whom he had unjustly wronged, so he could only choose one thing.

He knelt before God and lowered his head.

"Your will is my will. Order me and I shall obey, my Lord" he uttered in deference.

Naruto smiled and briefly glanced at his wife, noting the smile also present on her visage, before he gazed back at the kneeling Yagura.

He raised his arm holding the ebon shakujō and lightly tapped the boy on his head with the hooped end, causing him to shine for a moment, before a familiar looking symbol appeared on the youth's forehead.

Yagura's spirit stopped flickering as it was once more given flesh, and the grey haired boy could only remain unmoving in muted silence at the otherworldly sensations that roused his being.

The truth that he had been promised followed soon and as it settled in his mind it slowly began to disperse the encroaching guilt that had been plaguing him for so long.

"Rise, Yagura" Naruto spoke after a minute of silence. "Henceforth, your new life as the Overseer of this world shall begin."

"Yes, Lord Sovereign" Yagura spoke and immediately rose to his feet, noticing that he was being approached by the other two males who had been standing in silence until now.

"So, another one joins the party, eh, Toneri?" the grey haired man spoke in a boisterous manner as he nudged his companion in a friendly manner, before glancing at Yagura. "I'm Hidan, by the way, though, I guess that you can call me senpai~"

"Hidan, stop fooling around and be more serious" Toneri reprimanded, before he shifted his attention on Yagura as well. "I am Ōtsutsuki Toneri, and I shall be your supervisor from now on."

"Pleased to meet you both" Yagura replied in a polite tone. "As you might have already heard, I am Yagura, the Fourth Water Shadow."

"Hey, Toneri, I think you'll be getting along pretty well with this guy" Hidan commented with a grin. "You both look girly, are tight wound to the point where it looks painful, and are polite to a fault."

Yagura didn't respond, but that was probably because he didn't want to get involved in the craziness that the man seemed to exude, however, in Toneri's case, things were a bit different.

"Hidan, I believe that you have only kept silent for four minutes and forty-four seconds, and thus, you have failed your little, self-imposed challenge" the pale skinned teen spoke with an eerie smile. "So, unless you shut up and stop acting like a child for the next hour, then I'm going to have to punish you for it."

"Man, you counted that?" Hidan asked in disbelief, before an expression of outrage crossed his features as he registered the last part. "And since when has this been a punishment game?!"

"Since you've decided to open your mouth and give me a headache" Toneri replied smoothly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Now shut up, unless you want to find out how it feels to impact against the moon's surface, from the Earth, and beyond the speed of sound."

"Alright, fine, sheesh..." Hidan relented and started grumbling to himself. "Man, you really know how to take the fun away from almost everything..."

"Now then, my loyal and faithful followers..."

The three males' attention was immediately drawn to their God when they suddenly heard him address them and they quickly knelt before him.

"I have given you the necessary tools and knowledge, so now it is time for you to begin rebuilding the world and tailor it to my will" Naruto spoke as he dismissed his shakujō. "I have something important to attend to for now, although, I shall not be gone for too long. However, I expect you to be diligent in my absence and bring forth that which I have envisioned for this world."

"Yes, my Lord" Hidan voiced.

"Understood, Lord Naruto" Toneri followed after only a moment.

"We shall do as you command, Lord Sovereign" Yagura was the last one to reply.

"Very well" Naruto opened a rift in front of himself and Yuno. "Then, I shall be taking my leave" he walked within the dark void alongside his wife, speaking one last word before the portal closed itself shut. "Farewell."

The three males remained in their kneeling positions for a few more moments as they wondered about how to begin with their assigned missions, however, they were quickly brought out of their thoughts when they heard a soft but powerful voice echo from everywhere yet nowhere at once as it resonated throughout the world.

 _Essence — The Sovereign is in all, and everything, there are no equivalents; he is the one and only peerless existence._

They listened with widened eyes as they instantly recognized what was being spoken.

 _Attribution — The Sovereign is unshackled, there are no concepts that could restrain the Sovereign, for he is above all, and everything; can mortality truly affect one who has no end, or beginning, who existed before Chaos itself?_

"The Nine Creeds..." Toneri whispered softly as he placed his hands in a prayer fashion and began to listen in reverence.

 _Authority — There is no power except the Sovereign. Every breath you breathe, the exhalation of oxygen, of magic of life, is dependent on the grace of the Sovereign._

Yagura felt the words resonate within himself and he lowered his head in submission as he continued to listen to the voice of God.

 _Lordship — The Sovereign is the only aspect of worship, to worship any other is idolatry, for to worship anything other than the great Creator and Aider, is infidelity._

Hidan held his pendant tightly in one hand, keeping it pressed to his lips as he repeated the commandments inside his mind.

 _Justice — The Sovereign is Justice. There is no Justice above him, for he incarnates Justice. For such, discard the delusions before Enlightenment, since Justice is Sovereign, there are none other._

Arcs of lighting started to dance across the sky, illuminating it in a show of deadly brilliance.

 _Recompense — The Sovereign acknowledges the irredeemable falsities of a faction of souls. Suffer not for the heathen to live. For they can only serve the Sovereign with their cessation._

The wind started to slowly pick up, until a fairly strong breeze was sweeping across the lands.

 _Revelation — The Sovereign offers all Revaluation; man, of his own will, can either embrace the truth, or Recompense. For the Sovereign is truth, Just as he is Justice._

The clouds cleared from the sky, revealing to anyone looking a sight that was bound to leave them speechless.

The sun and moon were both visible, and the day was rapidly turning from dusk to dawn.

 _Reality — The Sovereign's Eyes That Govern Over All of Creation dictate reality, for beware, for the heathens, live in a delusional dream. Anger not in their presence, simply cleanse, and awake them._

The earth began to slowly tremble, not so harsh that it would cause any damage, but intense enough to be felt by everyone.

 _Predestination — The Sovereign_ sees _, he_ knows _, and he_ acknowledges _._

As soon as the voice faded, so did the lighting dancing across the sky, the blowing winds, and the shaking of the earth.

Several moments passed, before the three kneeling males slowly stood up and started walking together toward a seemingly random direction.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **AN:**

 **(1) — The symbol of Naruto's religion; there's a link to the picture on my profile.**

 **(2) — The description of Hidan's cursed technique's second stage transformation; the link is as well on my profile.**

 **Well, there it is; the last chapter of the story.**

 **I hope that all of you have enjoyed the Epilogue of Enlightened Apotheosis, because I have definitely had a lot of fun while writing it.**

 **Also, I would like to thank everyone who has read this story until its very end. Your feedback and support has been greatly appreciated.**

 **Now, I know that some of you might be disappointed to see this story come to an end, however, you can rest assured, because I have already made the general outline for the sequel. This volume of Naruto's and Yuno's life might have come to a conclusion, but their tale is far from being over. This has been merely the prequel which had told of how the two have met and have come to be together.**

 **Now, on a different note, I hope that I have managed to give a satisfactory introduction for Hidan and Toneri, because I had been planning to include them in the story from its very incipience. And if you are wondering about it, then yes, they too are going to be part of the sequel that will be taking place in the High School DxD universe.**

 **Lastly, I would like to mention that my finals are beginning in one week, and that they are going to last until the last week of July. Which means that I won't be able to do much, if anything at all, about the next story throughout the period of my exams. Still, once I am finally done with them, I'll have a great deal of free time to dedicate to writing, so it will all come together eventually.**

 **And with that being said, I shall be seeing you in the next story. When I have the first chapter done, I'll post a notice on this story to let you all know about it.**

 **Take care, everyone!**


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